"CELTIC DREAM"
ENGRAVED EBONY BOX CUE
BY PETE TONKIN
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This cue was made for the Special Collection at the International Cue Collector Show in 2017 in Las Vegas. The theme that year for the collection was "box cues" and the cuemakers went all-out to bring their best work. This cue was one of my favorite entries, in ebony with long, elaborate boxes with extensive engraving. (I sold this cue sometime ago to a private collector who kept it pristine and new. I recently took it back in trade towards a solid ivory-handled cue. Now, someone will get a second chance to buy this one! It is still "test hit" only.)
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The engraving pattern used is called the "Celtic Knot", and it is an ancient design used for centuries. Pete used it generously in this cue, and the finished product is spectacular.
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NOTE: For some reason, the pictures of this cue are deceptive. They capture the blue of the Angel Fire inlays, but the burl wood in the lap looks much greener than it actually is. It's more of a blue-green. (My camera keeps auto-adjusting to try and get both colors right, but it seems to be able to get only one color or the other right.)
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As the pictures show, this engraving pattern is highly complex, intricate, and just plain stunning. It's hard to believe how much of it there is, and how much running time was involved in making it. Notice the complexity of his veneers around the boxes, highlighted by pretty colors of veneer, separated by black construction paper and finally, framed in pure silver.
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The smaller boxes are filled with Angel Wing shell with a teal coating. They are wrapped in a very intricate inlay pattern that looks as though it's interwound within itself. The Angel Wing has so much life that it almost looks like there's a light behind it.
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The handle portion of this stick is made from Pacific Maple burl which has been dyed and stabilized. The nose and butt sleeve is from ebony. For the minor windows he inlayed the Celtic knot pattern made from elforyn wrapping around the teal Angel Wing shell window that is wrapped in silver. For the major windows and boxes he decided to again engrave celtic knots.
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The handle is divided into three segments by the same rings that are used elsewhere on the stick. They are of pure silver and elforyn. For veneers, he picked white and teal with black construction paper between them and put pure silver veneers on both sides.
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The burl in the handle is gorgeous. It is highly figured and has great character.
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For the ringwork, he used Juma, black Phenolic and pure silver with silver diamonds. (Note: the picture on the right best depicts the true color of the burl in the handle.)
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| There is so much work and so many fine details in this cue that it is easy to overlook. Just look at the details of the elforyn pattern he uses to enclose the Angel Wing boxes - a very intricate weaving pattern that is a piece of art all to itself.
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There's a lot going on in this cue, and it all comes together nicely. It takes some time to really look at it and take it all in.
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The Angel Wing shell seems to just glow from within.
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He finishes this with a Juma butt cap and a Juma joint. They serve to accentuate the overall look of the cue. On one side he has engraved "ICCS 2017 Special Collection" and on the other side his traditional Tonkin logo, greatly adding to this cue's collectibility.
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| For playability, he builds this cue with a 3/8X10 pin in a flat-faced joint. It comes with two 13mm shafts with matching ringwork, with aegis ferrules and Navigator tips. It weighs just 19.1 ounces. This cue is a whopper!
PRICE: $8200 PLUS SHIPPING
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As with all of his high-end cues, Pete doesn't consider it complete unless it's accompanied by a matching set of joint protectors. In this case he uses the Pacific Maple burl, with the matching rings from the cue, and caps them with creamy white Juma.
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