Carmeli Red Diamond by Viking

The Red Diamond is the most ornate entry in Ariel Carmeli's Diamond Series for Viking — and it shows. Eighty Ivory IMA and Red Premium Pearl inlays cover the cue in a density of detail that pushes the boundary between playing cue and collector piece. Set against a West African Ebony forearm with a Black/Red Irish Linen wrap, the effect is bold and deliberate: this is a cue that commands attention before it ever touches a ball.

The Carmeli Legacy

Ariel Carmeli didn't set out to be a cue maker. A furniture builder by trade, he landed at the legendary Best Billiards in Santa Ana, California in 1991 — and when the shop owner arranged for Hall of Fame cue maker Tad Kohara to personally mentor him, the course of his career was set. By 1992 he had founded Carmeli Custom Cues; by 1994 he was doing it full time out of a 700-square-foot shop near his home in Eastvale, California.

A true Carmeli custom today carries a wait measured in years, not months. His cues are sought after internationally for their exceptional playability, exotic wood selection, and the meticulous laminated maple coring technique he applies to nearly every forearm he builds — a step that most production makers skip entirely. His stated priority has always been the hit of a cue above all else.

The Diamond Series exists because Viking approached Carmeli with a straightforward proposition: bring the aesthetics and specifications that define a Carmeli cue to players who can't wait five years or spend five figures. Every detail of each Diamond cue — wood selection, materials, weight, balance, fit, and finish — is directly influenced and overseen by him. The Red Diamond is the most expressive result of that collaboration.

• Full Laminate Maple Cored Construction with West African Ebony forearm
• 80 Ivory IMA & Red Premium Pearl Inlays — the most in the Diamond Series
• Tri-Color Real Maple Veneer Points
• Silver, Black & Red/Ivory IMA Index Rings
• Black/Red Double Pressed Irish Linen Wrap
• ViKORE Low Deflection Performance Shaft
• 3/8×10 Modified Joint Pin
• Tiger Everest Medium Tip
• Lifetime Warranty — warpage included

The ViKORE Shaft: Built for Accuracy

Carmeli has always put playability before aesthetics — which makes the pairing with Viking's ViKORE shaft a natural match. The ViKORE is Viking's flagship wood performance shaft, built entirely in the USA from premium Michigan Hard Rock Maple. The wood is aged, then turned 9 to 11 times over 18 to 24 months, allowing the fibers to fully stabilize before the shaft reaches its final diameter. The result is a shaft that is radially consistent, predictable, and warp-resistant — qualities that are difficult to achieve and easy to feel.

At the center is a proprietary Reactive ViKORE Core that enhances energy transfer at contact, while Softouch® Dampening Technology reduces the vibration felt in your bridge hand — clean feedback without the buzz of a conventional shaft. A 12" to 14" Pro Taper transitions smoothly to the tip end, accommodating a wide range of bridge styles and stroke preferences. Up front, a Viking SUPER Ferrule — threaded and capped directly onto the shaft — pairs with a Tiger Everest Medium tip for durability and consistent feel shot after shot.

Eighty inlays. Thirty years of cue-making philosophy. One shaft engineered to match.

Specifications

• Tip: Tiger Everest Medium
• Ferrule: Viking SUPER Ferrule, capped and threaded onto the shaft
• Shaft: ViKORE Hard Rock Maple, Low Deflection Performance Shaft
• Shaft Benefit: Extreme Control & Accuracy
• Turnings: 9–11 over 18–24 months
• Taper: 12"–14" Pro Taper
• Wrap: Black/Red Double Pressed Irish Linen
• Finish: UV Urethane, 3-coat
• Forearm: Laminated Maple Cored West African Ebony
• Joint: High Impact Black (IMA), flat faced
• Pin: 3/8"×10 Modified
• Butt Plate: High Impact Modified Acrylic
• Bumper: Threaded Rubber
• Warranty: Lifetime, including warpage

Viking cues include a Lifetime Warranty (warpage included). Register your cue here