Everyone is used to hear that meerschaum is only in the sea. And almost every inhabitant of northern countries is dreaming of sunbathing under a warm sun, on a sandy shore, slightly touching sea water by the feet and slowly drinking his or her cocktail from a thin tube. But is it true that meerschaum can only be in the description above? True smoking pipes are made of meerschaum!! Yes, yes! You haven’t misheard. Smoking pipes that are probably in the house of many of you, but you don’t even know that this pipe is made of the material “meerschaum”. And if you don’t have such pipes at home, but you are a passionate lover of pipes or you are just interested, then you can purchase this pipe at our web-site, online shop: www.amazingtobacco.com and what’s more, you will see by yourself how this pipe looks before you buy it.

In 1723 pipes with a romantic name “meerschaum” started to be made. It turns out that pipes made of meerschaum are about a hundred years older than pipes made of heather root.

Meerschaum is a light, white, porous material, formed from the remains of pre-historic sea inhabitants. According to the chemical structure, it’s magnesium oxide, silica, carbon and water. Meerschaum is got only in one place – in Turkey, in a small town Eskisehir, situated in 330 kilometers from Istanbul. A big piece of the mineral with large disseminations and more porous one costs less than a small block taken from a big depth.

Before the discovery of meerschaum almost all smoking pipes in Europe were made of loam and porcelain. The material of meerschaum can of course be heated, but not so much as loam, porcelain and plant materials. This material isn’t brittle and doesn’t burn, moreover, it has good hygroscopic qualities, it takes in moisture and pitch excellently.

In 1723 an Austrian count, Andrassi, got a present in Turkey, a piece of a mineral that looked like loam, from which his pipe was made, and he ordered from an Austrian master, Karl Kovat, a new copy from this material. In Austria, Germany, England these pipes quickly gained great popularity – masters were cutting out on a pipe the most incredible antique plots, portraits of rulers and historic figures. The more qualitative and the bigger a piece of meerschaum was, and the more complicated the carving was, the more the pipe was valued. This definition remained until our days as well.

When meerschaum is moistened well (it can be treated only when it’s moistened, then it yields to treatment easily), then the material is so soft that the rough form of the pipe appears from the piece of meerschaum during just a couple of minutes. If you need a simple pipe of a classical form, it can be made during some ten minutes. But usually pipes with carving on antique plots are appreciated, free hands, or with other carvings. Final treatment of a pipe is a difficult task and quality depends on the carver’s mastery.


Still the most precious specimens at auctions are made of meerschaum of Victorian Age. Pipes from heather are quite a rare thing, but they are sold not expensive, while meerschaum of the XVII and XIX centuries is of great demand.

In the Guinness Book of Records the most expensive pipe in the world is noted – with the cost of 8500 pounds sterling (80th years) – with the length of half a meter, cut from a huge piece of meerschaum, with an amber holder! One of the most popular firms is “London Meerschaums”.

Advice for using:

Pipes made of meerschaum are rather brittle and require special individual cases for keeping.

False meerschaum got by the method of pressing is easy to differentiate – it is granular and with heating (or if it is placed in water) the pipe can just moulder to grains. True meerschaum is very tender – it can be scratched even by a nail. Pipes made of meerschaum actually don’t need to be reeked – from the first time you may fill the whole bowl and enjoy your pipe, not passing an exhausting (for some people) procedure of reeking. Pipes made of meerschaum get snuff with time, with which it is heated less and thanks to which it gets a taste.

If you decided to purchase a pipe made of meerschaum, then you should necessarily check that it (or its pack) has a stamp “block meerschaum” meaning that it is made of a whole piece of meerschaum but not of pressed bits.
Having bought a pipe made of meerschaum, remember that your new purchase is very tender and brittle. You should never let it fall, beat ashes out of it. Ashes should be removed with a scoop so as not to hurt the inner surface of the camera. Then the pipe will “get old” in a beautiful way, get a noble look and it will also bring pleasure to its master for a long time.