All the DG pipes are stamped:

• DG (for Dal Fiume Gabriele)
• The grade letter (see below)
• The year of production.
• The serial number of the particular pipe within that year.

The following factors are taken into consideration when grading a DG pipe:

• The shape and the degree of difficulty it presents.
• The grain.
• The shape and how unique and distinctive it is.
• Accessories used, such as wooden inserts, bamboo, silver/gold bands, etc.
• Sometimes size may be taken into consideration if a pipe is unusually large in size.

Please note the following:

1. A pipe marked with the grade "D", for example, may also show a butterfly    next to the letter indicating a particularly unique and hard to execute shape.
   The butterfly may be used in combination with any of the DG grades, with the exception of "Dal Fiume G.".
2. A pipe with a dark(er) stain should not be interpreted as a sign of mediocre quality or grain. Gabriele Dal Fiume chooses the best possible stain to bring out the natural grain of the pipe as much as possible. All the stains used are natural.

Please note that the following photos are meant to be only illustrative.

The DG Grading System
Grade	Description	Sample
A	Entirely Rusticated
B	Partially Rusticated
SB	Sandblasted (Stained)
	Sandblasted (Unstained)
C	Entry Level Smooth
D	Smooth with good grain
E	Smooth, with exceptional grain and/or unique and difficult design
F	"Fiammata" (Straight Grain) pipe
Dal Fiume	Best possible in terms of design and/or grain (the perfect straight grain in this case). Few pieces are produced a year, each offered in a unique presentation case, hand made by the maker.

Please note that the following photos are meant to be only illustrative.

Limited Series DG Pipes
Description	Sample 1	Sample 2
Gabriele loves to work with bamboo, and he used the best quality of bamboo money can buy. He regularly makes pipes that are of extra length, with a long bamboo shank, combined by a unique shape and/finish. These pipes do not normally carry any particular nomenclature, since it is obvious that they belong to that limited series. The prices, surprisingly, are the same as other pipes within that particular grade.
"Dîs Minud" in the Italian dialect spoken in the and around the city of Bologna means "Ten Minutes" (or "dieci minuti" in standard Italian). The idea behind this limited series of pipe is to provide a high quality smoking pipe intended to provide the best possible smoke for about 10 minutes. It's the ideal little pipe you want to keep in your vest pocket and enjoy when you're on a short break from daily chores.