Paolo Becker
Italian Rhodesian
Three Hearts

About the maker:
Paolo Becker today is considered to be one of the finest pipe makers in the world. After a sojourn of some years as one of the proprietors of the famous Becker & Musico shop in Rome (when he had not much time to make pipes) Paolo returned to his passion some ten years ago, spending more time crafting and less in the store. Finding the dual role too much in terms of creative time lost he gradually grew away completely from the shop to devote all his energies to crafting his matchless designs in briar.
Paolo is unique in that, as a pipe maker, he was influenced by no one but his father. And, since Fritz's death he has moved beyond those borders to where he now crafts pipes of his own exclusive designs- some times inspired by traditional English models, some times by neo classical Italian motif, and at others by Danish and German free hand shapes. The origin of the Becker pipe begins with the finest briar available- Extra-Extra quality plateau from the province of Calabria in southern Italy (reputed to be home to the hardest briar in the world). This briar is dug from a light, sandy soil and after preliminary seasoning and cutting Becker lets the wood air-dry for from three to five years depending on size. If life was as it should be every Becker pipe would be either a perfect straight grain or a flawless cross grain- for Paolo Becker has a penchant for perfection. All his smooth pipes are designed so that the shape flows to the grain, thus creating the unique and neo-classic models for which Becker is known. Becker's carved and sandblasted pipes are deeply etched and follow both classic and neo-classic form. The amount of hand work each pipe receives has been described as "...little short of amazing" by an English master pipe maker who visited Becker at his workshop. It is little wonder then that one year's production numbers only 250 pipes.
Each hand-turned Becker bowl is complemented with a hand-cut mouthpiece made of either black Plexiglas or brindle vulcanite, and most Becker pipes possess the registered Becker "briar ring" trademark.