Alfred Dunhill The challenge of a Dunhill history is to separate myth and legend from the history. This however, may be impossible. The story of Alfred Dunhill is so tied up with myth that the myths are now part of the history. Alfred opened a small factory of his own in 1910. He set down two principles that would guide the production of Dunhill Pipes. First, pipes would be made of only the finest quality briar, with exacting care by expert craftsmen. Secondly, the pipes would be priced accordingly; the customer would recognize the value of a superior product. This ran counter to the current trend of inexpensive pipes of poor quality that one simply discarded after a short while. The Dunhill pipe was made to last a lifetime and always with an eye to utility. It must smoke well and continue to do so with age.
1920's Art Deco Pipe Set Art Deco is a style of design, architecture and art that first appeared in Paris just before the first world war. It was in the mid 1920's, when Art Deco had become the established design style, when Alfred Dunhill published the fifth edition of his comprehensive product catalogue About Smoking - An Encyclopedia of Smoking containing a variety of products, both pipes and accessories, designed in the prevalent Art Deco style. This is where the pipe shapes from this set have been re-discovered. The shapes are extremely elegant, perfectly embodying the style. Both shapes have not been manufactured for at least 30 years.
Bruyere Briar Pipes The Bruyere is a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red. Early Dunhill used different briars with different stains, resulting in more distinct and identifiable creations. Bruyere pipes were usually made using Calabrian briar, a very dense and hardy briar that has a mediocre grain but does very well with the deep red stain.
Alfred Dunhill White Spot In 1915, the famous white spot was introduced for very practical concerns. With straight pipes, customers had trouble knowing which way to insert the handmade vulcanite mouthpieces. So Alfred Dunhill ordered white spots to be placed on the upper side of the stem. This very practical solution would become a definitive trademark of Dunhill pipes. The “white spot” soon became known as a symbol of quality.
Limited Edition Only 40 pieces of the Shell Briar model have been produced worldwide, which is much lower than normal limited editions making this a true collectors piece
ONE OFF PIPES: These are one off pipes and the pipes in the picture are the exact pipe you will receive. Please not that colour varies depending on your computer monitor and may not replicate the colour exactly.