Stefano Ricci SR Octagonal Ashtray — Briar Root Yellow / Gold

Stefano Ricci SR Octagonal Ashtray — Briar Root Yellow / Gold

Yellow is rare in wood — most timber species run toward brown, red, or grey, and the yellows that do appear in natural wood tend toward amber or olive rather than the vivid chromatic yellow of pigment. Coloring briar root yellow is a deliberate act: it takes a material known for its tonal restraint and moves it into a different register, one that is vivid and warm rather than earthy. The briar grain — tight, swirling, the burl figure produced by decades of slow underground growth — reads through the yellow pigment as texture and depth, keeping the colored wood grounded in what it actually is: a natural material that has been given a new color without losing its character.

Yellow / Gold

Yellow and gold are adjacent colors — both warm, both luminous, both in the register that associates with the sun, with precious metal, with things that hold and reflect heat. On a briar root ashtray, the yellow body and the gold details of the brass cigar holders reinforce the same warmth from different materials and different scales. The crystal bowl at the center introduces transparency — the one material in the composition that carries no color of its own, giving the warmth of the briar and gold a clear counterpoint.

Crystal Bowl

The central bowl is crystal, providing the clarity and weight that the material is known for. Crystal and colored briar root are both materials that carry a history in smoking objects — crystal decanters and glass humidor hygrometers, briar root in pipe shanks and bowls — and in combination they represent two traditions of the well-appointed smoking table brought together in a single object.

2 Brass Cigar Holders / Gold Details

Two brass cigar holders with gold details accommodate two cigars simultaneously. The 19 × 19 cm octagonal format is sized for the desk or occasional table — a personal ashtray rather than a table centerpiece for a group.

Now available at The Tobacconist of Greenwich.