FASCINATION IN BLUE
BY PETE TONKIN
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Just when you think Pete Tonkin has made the ultimate cue, he presents something even better and more beautiful. "Fascination" is his latest big cue, and although he's made many gorgeous sticks, this one may be the best.
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He does two things with this stick that are significant steps forward in his cuemaking progress. First, the design of the inlaid pattern in the butt sleeve is his most complicated and sophisticated yet. Second, the silver weave pattern in the handle, although similar to other cues he had made, is significantly different and in my opinion, takes this cue to a new level. Notice that the wire winds through the handle with smooth curves rather than angled turns. This is the result of advanced four axis work we seldom see in cue making.
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If you're not familiar with fourth axis work, I'll try to give you a quick explanation. When the cue is moving in traditional CNC lathes, it moves in three directions - right, left, and up/down (x, y, and z). But big, high precision lathes can also be programmed to rotate (a). So, when the cue is moving in a four axis design, it is actually moving in four different directions at one time. With this cue, for example, it makes the curved silver design in the handle possible.
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The design in this butt sleeve is incredible. It is a series of large floral type patterns, each one consisting of dozens of individual inlays of silver and elforyn, each being anchored and highlighted by a centerpiece of blue angel wing crystal. It is an irridescent natural stone that is found in crystal forms that resemble wings, thus the name, Angel Wing. In this case, it is blue. It is used in this cue in the butt and the handle, and it appears to glow from within.
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Between each "floral" pattern is another design cosisting of numerous inlays that form an elongated oval pattern, with a small row of diminishing dots above and below. (For fans of "The Lord of the Rings", you'll be reminded of the large "eye" that burns atop Saruman's tower.)
The dots are a significant detail of this cue's design. They are used in several places, and seem to give the cue a feeling of motion, even when it is still.
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Make note that this cue is all silver - no gold, even though sometimes in the photos the silver takes on a gold color. The silver is merely picking up reflections from its environment.
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The nose of this cue is similar to some other cues Pete has made, but is significantly different with the addition of the long eliptical designs between the points and the inlays in the points themselves. As usual, his "maze" of veneers is almost impossible to follow with your eyes and make sense of. He is truly a master of design.
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| The three-part handle is separated in the middle by two large, extremely fancy rings. It is then further separated from the rest of the cue by two thinner rings which are duplicated at the butt, the joint, on the ring collars of the shafts and on the joint protectors. Each of these rings contain dozens, if not hundreds, of individual inlays. The small rings, for example, are made up of laterally elongated diamonds - each small diamond consisting of six delicate inlays of silver, abalone and elforyn. Each small ring contains dozens of inlays.
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The large rings are made up of elforyn, framed in silver rings, with lots of additional inlays of silver and angel wing.
I could probably go on and on about the design work in the cue, the precision of the machining, and the inlays and the immaculate work, but I hope the pictures will do the best job in showing just how beautiful this creation turned out to be. Words simply can't describe the beauty of this cue.
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As with all the Tonkin cues I've played with, this one plays very well. I test-hit it, and was very impressed with the hit, feel and balance. It weighs in at just 19.7 ounces, much less than you would believe possible with an all ebony cue with so much inlay work of silver and stone. While it will always hold its own as a fine piece of art, it's satisfying to know it can also be a great playing cue.
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It comes with custom joint protectors of ebony, elforyn and silver with the super-fancy rings to match the cue. Each is beautifully engraved with the Tonkin name. It also has the Tonkin name engraved in the butt cap.
It is built with a flat-faced joint with a 3/8X10 G10 resin pin. It has two 13mm shafts of premium maple with Aegis ferrules and Navigator tips.
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This is an incredible, extremely collectible cue from one of cue-making's greatest cuethiers. As you would expect, the price of this cue reflects all the work and expertise that is built into it, but also the reputation of the cuemaker. Pete has won more major awards for outstanding cues in the past 5-7 years than any other cuemaker.
PLEASE EMAIL FOR PRICE.
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