master, man, and mind

Twilight is twisting its light now. From my terrace I see the sky through framed palms, ferns, banana leaf, and papaya. In the sky colors shift from blues to disposed grey. There are wild orchids that have moved in, they came without notice, I am sure they will leave the same. For the time being they are welcomed guests.

This night my vintage Kriswill Danish Clipper is smoldering with my favorite evening blend “Dunhill Nightcap.” In hand a hot cup of luwak cofee, or “kopi”, perhaps the most divine of combinations to behold on such an evening. Luwak is a special coffee whereby the coffee cherry has been previously eaten by the Civet, then passed through the digestive tract, and made its reincarnation to the world. The beans are cleaned, roasted, and the flavor is quite exquisite, taking on a smooth and nearly cocoa characteristic.

These are the moments where the mind turns and evolves. Details twist around themes, sinking deeper and deeper into dreams of concepts, designs, virtues, philosophy. Oh, how I hope every man can take such a luxury as this to explore his own mind for the undiscovered ideals hiding within that mass of fatty tissue.

Bali is flirting with the idea of entering its rainy season. So far her advances seem childlike at best, just teasing really. Some of this teasing has awakened the wildlife in the area. After such a teasing rain a few days ago, I was greeted at my front door by a beautiful Green Crested Bali Lizard. He stood kinglike perched on top of the stone statue of the Hindu god Ganesha that sits in my garden. So deliberate, so royal this creature, that he simply held his head in high stature and permitted me to acquire this fine portrait.

Sometimes inspiration greets you at your door. Such as this moment, my creative faculties went to work weaving a whole spiral of themes around this creature. Design is all around us, and it comes from a Master designer, who was here before us. Who by His very nature crafted the world in such a way that man could thrive in its natural luxuries. I work with metals, bones, woods, jewels, but the Master designer works with living things, with living flesh, with hearts, with spirit.

His designs are utterly unachievable within the simple reaches of man.
Still I design, because the Master designer designed me to.

r.

A Tamper Obsession

There is a vine which grows from the deepest internal interests of a mans soul. This vine engulfs the man, twisting and turning around his very being. The vine is fruit bearing, be it a healthy obsession, the vine bears good fruit, and unhealthy one bears its more evil counterpart. I have many an obsession. Long entangled by the mysteries of travel, adventure, far away lands, exotic peoples, unusual customs, and unique artistry. My dreams have always been filled with remote islands, pirates, jungles, and the wild.

I hold a simple doctrine, design what you love, utilize the absolute best materials, and seek out the finest talent to reach the prize.

I love pipe tampers, just as much as I love pipes. The tamper is a peculiar tool in the smokers arsenal, an essential little item that usually goes unnoticed. It has always been my notion that the tamper could, and should be loved and adored as much as the pipe itself. Its faithful companionship to the pipe lends it to the conversation, be it social, or the solace of personal ritual. The tamper is a character in the story, a timepiece, to which ages gracefully along side the pipe, along side the man.

For years I used a 50 cent, nickel plated tamper, that can be purchased from a bucket at any pipe shop. It did the job, was purely functional, and was often neglected. It shared no common interest with my collection, it was a simple servant. One day I discovered the joy of holding a tamper that held the stories and mysterious as great as some of my fine pipes. The unlocking of those stories are drawn up in those magical moments of the pipe smoking ritual, the contemplative practice of deep wonderment that comes from enjoying your favorite pipe, and favorite blend of tobacco. There is a third partner to which I have welcomed into and along side the pipe and blend, a delectable luxurious tamper, which is held and loved during the entire ritual. As the years turn, the pipe ages, the tamper ages, the man ages. It takes on a new character, the smoke and oils dig deep into the grain of the bone and settle there. From vine to old wine, the finest things in life only get better with age.

Today, I find great joy in holding a tamper that is as fine as the pipe I am smoking. They compliment each other, they are conversational, they envelope the whole experience. Today my tampers take an honored seat within my pipe cabinet, they stand brilliant along side the most cherished of my pipes. The very process of tamper and pipe selection has become a endearing moment for any pipe smoke. Pipe, tobacco, tamper…this is the pipe smokers trinity. This is ancient living.

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Ryan James is a Bali based silver designer with a passion for pipe smoking and collecting. He makes a limited number of pipe tampers annually from some of the rarest materials on earth. His work can be seen at ryanjamessilver.com

ryanjamesjewelry@yahoo.com

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NEW: Naga Banda Luxury Tamper

The Newest Piece from Ryan James

Naga Banda Luxury Pipe Tamper:
Inspired by the Balinese ceremonial “Naga” or dragon. Original reverse tamper “sitter” concept. Hand carved in ancient whale bone from West Papua,, finished in sterling silver from Borneo, and hand forged Balinese filligree. One of a kind.
Price available on request.

The World Of Ryan James

Welcome to the world of Ryan James: Gold and Silver in Ancient Tradition

Based deep in the heart of Bali, Ryan James searches the far reaches of the ancient world for the rarest, most exotic, most beautiful natural materials in existence. With his team of generationally trained artisans, Ryan James turns these raw materials into luxurious one of a kind pieces of functional, wearable art.

Each piece receives the hands on attention of more than 100 man hours of scrutinizing work. With a deep conviction for ethically sourced material, and fair trade, Ryan James utilizes rare bone, and fossil from West Papua, Sterling Silver from Kalimantan Borneo, Fine gemstones from Thailand, Gold from India and Indonesia.

Step into the world of Ryan James, an adventure in ancient living.

Fine Luxury Tampers:
An aficionado of fine briar pipes and tobacco, Ryan James creates some of the finest Pipe Tampers available in the world today. A functional piece of art and ultimate conversation piece, his pipe tampers compliment the finest of pipes, offering a welcome addition to the finest of pipe collections.

Pipe tampers are available by inquiry or commission only.

Thanks For Visiting
ryanjamesjewelry@yahoo.com

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