Thank you. I see what you're seeing. That feathering is in the grain itself. The pipe is absolutely glassy. I wet-sanded it at 1500 with alcohol, then, after re-coloring, buffed it (Dremel tool and polishing wheels) with Tripoli Compound and White Diamond before applying Carnauba Wax. There IS a slight blemish on the backside (1st picture) that might have been a fill. It doesn't show up in the picture and is hard to spot unless you're looking for it. I'll probably not smoke this one, and sell it down the road some day. I have another Cesare Imperiale (a "B") in the pipeline. Maybe I'll sell them as a set.