Θ THE LORD OF THE RINGS Θ
CUE BY ANDY GILBERT
SCRIMSHAW BY BOB HERGERT
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This cue was the result of a year-long collaboration with Andy Gilbert and Bob Hergert, the master scrimshander. There were a number of unique features of this cue that challenged Andy, but he met every challenge. The scrimshaw work is that of a true scrimshaw artist, and Bob spent over two months nearly full time completing the work. The result is a remarkable cue.
What you're viewing to the right is less than one square inch of work. In its magnified state you can begin to appreciate the amount of detail. This is a picture of Saruman, one of the villains of the story.
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What I like most about this cue is that all the work comes together like a complete story. It isn't just another ivory handled cue with a bunch of sketches randomly placed to fill all the white space. It is a well-conceived piece of art that was first designed away from the cue, and then made a part of the cue, not just thrown on. There is a flow to the cue that synthesizes all its unique features and in the end comes across as more than just a pretty cue -- it's a work of art.
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Above are four shots from different perspectives of the butt sleeve, which contains many of the evil characters and creatures from the story, including Sauron the dark lord, Gollum, an orc, and several oliphants from the great battle scene.
This cue was finished in 2009 and featured in Pool & Billiard Magazine in its March, 2010 issue, and has received attention from collectors around the world. The cue was introduced at the International Cue Collector Show in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pictured below are a couple of shots of the entire cue. However, long shots of this cue lack far too much detail, so I'm going to include a lot of close-ups in later shots.
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| The nose of the cue contains many of the heroes of the story. It was Bob Hergert's idea to put the heroes at the top, then the transitional scene of good triumphing over evil at the river as Galadriel turns the water into great torrents taking the shape of white horses, and then below, the evil characters all in the butt sleeve.
You can also see the first line of the poem -- "The One Ring" -- beginning on the ring at the top of the handle, with the next three lines coming on the next three rings, so you can read it as you look down the cue. The poem is repeated in the original elvenscript around the ivory joint.
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Here are four shots of the lower portion of the points. To really see this cue well, you need four shots of each portion to show all the scrimshaw detail, all 90 degrees apart as you rotate the cue.
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I get so excited talking about the scrimshaw in this cue that I almost forget the most important thing -- the cue itself. Andy started with a nose and butt sleeve of Brazilian Rosewood before inlaying the six ivory points, up and down, with large wedges of ivory in between. The handle is of three separate sections of black elephant ear (oliphant ear, for you Tolkien buffs!), and the butt cap and joint are ivory. Even the bolt is tipped with ivory. (These pictures show the cue with a three-piece ebony handle. The cue is pictured here with a handle of ebony, which we have since changed to make the cue even more elaborate.)
There are six inlaid pure gold rings suspended around six of the points -- three up and three down. My original idea was just one ring, but Andy liked the idea of having one around every other point. In this way, as you turn the cue in your hand, you always see one ring, but only one (Actually two, I suppose -- one up, one down). The gold rings don't show well in the pictures, but believe me, they really provide great accents to the cue.
My concern with this cue from the beginning was that it be a great looking cue even without the scrimshaw. Some scrimshawed cues rely almost exclusively on the scrimshaw for their beauty. On this cue, the scrimshaw just adds to what was already a beautiful cue.
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Here are a few more shots of the lower part of the nose, showing even greater detail. The amount, and quality, of ivory in this cue is outstanding. (And for anyone concerned, all this ivory was brought into the U.S. legally, i.e., from either elephants who died a natural death, or were culled from a herd for the overall health of the herd by conservationists.)
The small rings that are used at the confluence of the points and in other areas are brass.
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Here are three good pics of the butt sleeve. As you view these close-ups, notice the detail, and artistry, in the scrimshaw work. This is kind of work that can only be done on genuine ivory. Bob Hergert is known as one of the top scrimshander in the U.S., and the time and thought he put into this stick is incredible.
Also, keep in mind that the gold rings that are looped over the points are actual 18 carat gold.
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More close-ups of the work in the butt sleeve.
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And more close-ups of the work in the points.
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One of my favorite features of this stick is the utilization of the poem from the Tolkien book about the "One Ring." There were thirteen rings in all, but the most important, and strongest, was the ring found (or stolen) by Bilbo, and later passed on to Frodo. There were four ivory rings framing the handle of the cue, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use each ring for one of the four lines of the poem: "One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them. One ring to bring them, And in the darkness bind them."
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And then, the final touch - again, the use of the poem, but this time in the original "elvenscript" from the Tolkien novel - this time, formed into a single ring around the ivory joint.
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| Sometimes, because of all the detail in this cue, the "forest" is overlooked for the "trees." Don't overlook the fact that even without all the scrimshaw work, this cue would be a beauty in its own right. Just take a look at the dark rich rosewood that is used in the nose and the butt sleeve.
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Andy used double brass rings at the joint, and built a solid ivory butt cap, with an ebony ring, for the butt. He also adds a small ivory cap to the top of the steel joint pin - a feature he only includes on his most elaborate cues. (It is built with a flat joint with a 3/8X10 pin.)
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| I say without reservation that this cue is a masterpiece. It is not only beautiful, it is a work of art that I believe is unsurpassed by other cues. Not only is the artwork creative and masterful, the cue tells a story like none other.
It is a great looking stick that will undoubtedly stay in collections and perhaps never be played, but yes, I have hit a few balls with it, and it hits solid, like all of Andy's cues.
PRICE: $18,000
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