Meerschaum Pipes

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smoker13

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I've never thought of having a pipe made of this famous and mysterious material, but recently I admit I've been somewhat attracted to some I've seen that go against the stereotype of the Meerschaum pipe, namely, the ornately carved Persian prince, heavily bearded with a wrapped turban around the bowl, or the American Indian chief, with the huge War Bonnet of Eagle Feathers, or the Eagle Claw holding the.......you know what I mean.

No, the pipes I've seen that are attractive are smooth and leaning to the traditional: billiards, eggs, apples, acorns, brandies, straight, bent, freehandish and the like. Something else is striking about these. No matter which company/maker selling them, the smooth pipes are always more expensive than the elaborately "carved" ones, sometimes twice as expensive if not more.

All of which leads me to wonder if those elaborate Meerschaums are somehow cast rather than carved, because hand carving would just seem to make them much more expensive.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts on this and Meerschaum pipes in general from all you fellows out there who enjoy smoking them or maybe don't enjoy smoking them.
 
smoker13":fbnzx4ey said:
I've never thought of having a pipe made of this famous and mysterious material, but recently I admit I've been somewhat attracted to some I've seen that go against the stereotype of the Meerschaum pipe, namely, the ornately carved Persian prince, heavily bearded with a wrapped turban around the bowl, or the American Indian chief, with the huge War Bonnet of Eagle Feathers, or the Eagle Claw holding the.......you know what I mean.

No, the pipes I've seen that are attractive are smooth and leaning to the traditional: billiards, eggs, apples, acorns, brandies, straight, bent, freehandish and the like.  Something else is striking about these.  No matter which company/maker selling them, the smooth pipes are always more expensive than the elaborately "carved" ones, sometimes twice as expensive if not more.

All of which leads me to wonder if those elaborate Meerschaums are somehow cast rather than carved, because hand carving would just seem to make them much more expensive.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts on this and Meerschaum pipes in general from all you fellows out there who enjoy smoking them or maybe don't enjoy smoking them.  
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You can't CAST block meerschaum, which is what just about ALL the figure carved meers are made of. You can cast PRESSED Meerschaum, but you normally don't get the solid smooth toned white as you do with block meerschaum. Labour costs over in Turkey is not what it is here and most of the carvers work for less over there than what they might earn if working here. There are a few famous carvers whose work bring primo prices though and they are absolutely phenominal artists !! I have 4 meers, and all are carved figures which for me, define a meer pipe !
 
And those always defined the Meerschaum pipes for me, as well. I hope I didn't come off as denigrating them, monbla, just that they had come to represent the ONLY type of Meerschaum pipe, thus my casting them as the stereotype when one thought of a Meerschaum pipe. I was just commenting on how surprised I was to see some other types, smoother and plainer, in shapes that I found attractive.
 
The figural meers look heavy to me. I have two meers, one is a billiard, the other is more appleish. I think they're both CAOs. They're bigger than a briar, but light. Mine "burnished" in a blotchy way; one looks like it has a bathtub ring around the middle. I was told I smoked it "wrong." My .02 is that a good briar smokes as well without the need to be so dang careful. But different pipers have different levels of patience. Every piper should try a Meer sometime. The prices for estate Meers seem pretty reasonable, and you can choose from traditional or figural shapes.
 
I'm on my third meerschaum. The first two I tossed. (Yes, they were top quality.) I have no idea why I bought the third, other than the PAD affliction. Watching them color is exciting, right?  :roll:
 
S13...Get yourself a good Turkish block meerschaum. It can be as fancy or plain as you wish. Give it a try with your favorite 'baccy. Some pipers like them, some don't. Just make sure you're getting a "Block" Meer. Don't buy a "Pressed" Meer. FWIW :cheers: FTRPLT
 
As a matter of fact, just 2 days ago 9 of them arrived in the mail. I tried some Blackwoods Flake in a lowly Washington (I think a 6 buck pipe) and thought, why buy any other expensive briar?.

I can't wait to try the other "custom" ones (the ones with the wooden plug in the bottom!) I've got. Especially the 2 Mark Twains, strictly because I love all Dublins and I love the man, and the Shire. Then there are the 2 Generals, the 2 Freehands, and I might give the Legend to a young man to start him off (but I might get arrested in today's political climate!)
 
smoker13":0ek39676 said:
As a matter of fact, just 2 days ago 9 of them arrived in the mail.  I tried some Blackwoods Flake in a lowly Washington (I think a 6 buck pipe) and thought, why buy any other expensive briar?.

I can't wait to try the other "custom" ones (the ones with the wooden plug in the bottom!) I've got.  Especially the 2 Mark Twains, strictly because I love all Dublins and I love the man, and the Shire.  Then there are the 2 Generals, the 2 Freehands, and I might give the Legend to a young man to start him off (but I might get arrested in today's political climate!)
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Good for you, my man!!

Now you can put buying meerschaum pipes out of your head. You already have the best smokers money can buy :bounce:
 
Back in the mid 80's, I had a very interesting Meerschaum I acquired overseas. I couldn't tell you now if it was 'Real' or not. During a wandering hike up Multnomah Falls creek in Oregon, I 'took a little trip', talked to the forest, and set my pipe in a hollow in a perhaps 200 year old Douglas fir tree, after making a rope climb near the top. You know, for the killer view of the Columbia River, Larch Mountain, all that.........

The hollow was about, oh, 20 miles up, it seemed.

Watched the sunset. It was electric... (Of course). Then it was dark.

I repelled down, pulled my rope through, stashed my gear, reached for my stash................

Oh crap...

Looked up into the darkness, laughed, and figured, well, it'll be there the next time I climb up. Made a quick pipe out of something on the forest floor, smoked my way out into the night and back to my 'shuttle'..

Took my youngest child out there a couple of years ago. She's 18. The tree is there, but it looks a bit more formidable a climb now....

But I'll bet that old pipe is safe............
 
GREAT story, Wizard! I'll bet that pipe is as safe as can be, too, but it begs the question: Instead of getting that warm amber color from careful smoking over the years, does your pipe now have a nice greenish tint?
 
smoker13":e66lrtn2 said:
GREAT story, Wizard!  I'll bet that pipe is as safe as can be, too, but it begs the question:  Instead of getting that warm amber color from careful smoking over the years, does your pipe now have a nice greenish tint?
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I would guess it has a better beard than I could ever grow......
 
old thread but.... i have ad medium and large meers and depending - with a quality of block/meer they are not really heavy - it is deceiving. I do have an extra large meer - i mean long shank all meer and it is only 3oz. but the size is rather extreme for what most people see and buy. get a signed meer and those tend to be more friendly than an anonymous piece. also depending on the shop and the place a decent meer - signed can be had for $125-150.
 
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