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The rustication isn't to bad, but I think It would be better if it looked more natural. It looks as if it was created with a dremel. You may be able to create a rougher more random pattern with one of the nail type tools. It would be nice if there was a band of smooth briar to ease the transition from rustication to polished stem. The taper might look better if were a straight even taper rather than sloped. Aside from the gap at the shank to stem junction, it apears to be a very nice pipe. I'm just a rook, the more experienced makers will give a better critique.
I really like this pipe. I even like the rustication as it is. The only thing I see that caught my eye that hasn't already been mentioned is that your stem starts out wider than the end of your shank creating a bit of a bulge there. It should taper. There also seems to be a very slight uneven slant to the top of the bowl. That may just be the picture/illusion though. Again, nice work.
The stem in this case seems to bulge out from the shank a little. Try to keep the diameter of the stem the same as, or less than, the shank diameter until you reach an area where it can flare out for the bit width you need. This is usually just after the point where you begin the taper down for the thin section of the bit.
I applaud the use of green cumberland, but it just doesn't go with the color of the stummel. It creates a clash of colors that is difficult to overcome. In this case, red cumberland would be more appropriate.
In the top shot it appears that the shank may actually become narrower near the bowl. This may be due to the rustication, and if so it's easy to avoid. Trever Talbert had a posting in his blog not too long ago about sandblasting, and the same points can be used for rustication as well. You want to make the pipe diameters larger than you would if you were going to make it smooth, then rusticate as deep as you want. Sometimes you don't get that chance (hidden flaws, etc) so you have to modify the shape of the pipe slightly.
On this pipe, I think a saddle bit would work better. That may be my own preference however.
To avoid strange gaps at the stem where rustication is, leave a smooth band of wood there. You can either have an abrupt change, or just lightly reduce your rustication depth as you get closer to the stem so that there's a transition.
