Any Current Guides To Meer Carvers Online Or In Print?

[shanez]

Lately I've really been favoring my meers and have a few more on order. I'd like to learn more about meers as a whole but also about individual carvers. Pipedia has some information but there are a lot of great carvers out there that aren't mentioned on the site.

Does anyone know of any resources are online or in book form?

 

[tfdickson]

This won’t help you with current carvers but it is a terrific resource for meers in general:

 

[shanez]

This won’t help you with current carvers but it is a terrific resource for meers in general:

View attachment 56780

Thank you. I just ordered a copy.

 

[mso489]

I've noticed that the origins and sourcing on Meerschaum pipes is obscure, and I conclude, after some years, that this is intentional. I'm not convinced that particular brands are pipe makers so much as middle men, and the relationship between carvers seems obtuse -- like are they employees, independent contractors, or what? I guess there are a few artisans who actually sign their work, but this doesn't seem to be the general Meerschaum culture. The customer isn't meant to know too much, but to buy on faith from large middle men, unless you speak the applicable languages and can track down specific carvers.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I've noticed that the origins and sourcing on Meerschaum pipes is obscure, and I conclude, after some years, that this is intentional. I'm not convinced that particular brands are pipe makers so much as middle men, and the relationship between carvers seems obtuse -- like are they employees, independent contractors, or what? I guess there are a few artisans who actually sign their work, but this doesn't seem to be the general Meerschaum culture. The customer isn't meant to know too much, but to buy on faith from large middle men, unless you speak the applicable languages and can track down specific carvers.

I’m not sure what the exact arrangement is, but by and large, I’m inclined to agree. That’s certainly the image anyway, real or illusory. As an artist/craftsman, I’d be more interested in buying a piece from an individual carver that has gone to other platforms (even social media ?) to sell his work. I just think it’s cool to know whose hands did the work.

 

[jaygreen55]

Your post got me curious so I checked out Etsy. I was surprised to find there are there are 69 pages (50 per page) of Meerschaum pipes listed most shipped directly from Turkey so whether factory pipes or individual artisans there is no middleman involved. Prices range from extremely inexpensive and to about 300 dollars

Meerschaum pipes - Etsy

Check out our meerschaum pipes selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops.

www.etsy.com

 

[shanez]

Your post got me curious so I checked out Etsy. I was surprised to find there are there are 69 pages (50 per page) of Meerschaum pipes listed most shipped directly from Turkey so whether factory pipes or individual artisans there is no middleman involved. Prices range from extremely inexpensive and to about 300 dollars

This is part of what I'm trying to figure out. There are several artisans who have pipes available on etsy, fleabay, FB, their own website, and even some retail websites.

If I'm able to directly contact the carver it's a good thing.

The concern is the people on sites like etsy who are nothing more than middlemen and can't/won't provide any information about the pipe. They don't know the carver, they don't know the quality of the meer, etc. For the price I'd at least like to know the reputation (quality of meer) of the pipe. It's also nice to know something about the carver's history and/or reputation.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

While there (on this Etsy)were many interesting pipes no question but also it was amusable to notice that almost zero listing tells you what might be the actual measurements of the listed pipe nor did I saw a photo taken from one of the crucial point of a meerschaum pipe :The Tenon, I suspect that 99% of pipes here have been fitted with nylon/plastic tenons

 

[fjc623]

Add to your comment about Etsy of fleabay I find there are straw sellers meaning they are the middleman.
I had an experience over the summer where I purchased a garden hose and the seller shipped it from Walmat.

Shame on me when I contacted the seller being he was showing that he had the product with a picture he pasted from Walmart web site he refunded the money and told me to keep the hose.

Moral of the story buyer be ware!

 

[cshubhra]

Here is my understanding

1. There needs to be a connection between the artisan and his target customer base
2. It is easier for many American artisans to reach their market directly - Couple of reasons - a. Demand and supply in the same country so Pipe Shows, word of mouth helped. b. American Artisans are more tech savvy to reach the customers leveraging on the internet
3. For the same reasons mentioned above - It was hard for the Turkish Artisans to reach the American and European market. Word of mouth or pipe shows are harder to manage across countries and continents. Also, in general I believe the Turkish artisans were less tech savvy compared to their American counterparts
3. Since there is both demand and supply - We now have middlemen which brings the demand in Europe and America to the supply in Turkey. Thus we have companies like AKB, IMP etc
4. Now a lot of Turkish artisans have become tech savvy and sell direct in eBay, Etsy, Facebook
5. Finally we only hear about master carvers who have made it big - Luck, connection, marketing whatever you call it, but if you go to Facebook you will see a bunch of new relatively unknown artisans producing work as good as the master carvers

 

[shanez]

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind buying through a reputable retailer. In fact, from what i can see in both briars and meers, several very reputable retailers carry some of the better results of certain carvers while I see the carver selling directly through sites like etsy and you can see some of these pipes aren't quite as a good as their other work.

Probably my biggest concern is every ad for a meer, it seems, lists the the pipe as being carved from "High Quality Block Meerschaum" but without it being in hand there is no way to actually tell the quality of the material. Also, as mentioned by others, due to the way the ad is listed and the pipe photographed, there is often little or no information regarding chamber dimensions and/or stem and tenon material or even if it's a screw in stem.

Plus, I like knowing something about the maker of the pipe. Especially in figural meers I like to see the carvers name on the pipe stummel. For classic shapes I'm okay with a company logo or identification mark on the pipe stummel or the stem. A name, mark, or logo lets me know what I have in my hands when I'm holding a pipe.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'm a rookie at needs. Seems to me the safe path is to pay a bit extra and buy a reputable brand from a reputable dealer.

 

[Franco]

Hard to make a mistake buying a Baki.

 

[mso489]

I assume all of the vagueness and confusion is used to good advantage by the carvers, middle men, and retailers. Even buying in person from a retailer isn't much help unless you have experience sizing up new Meerschaums. It's difficult to determine which Meers are from block and whether the bit is screw-in or push-in. Online, the customer is buying on pure faith.

 

[REO]

See meer discussion on Bremen Pipe Smoker YouTube. He gives info on the source of his pipes. Reputable carver and quality work.

 

[REO]

here is the link. Several on the YTpipeclub have purchased from this guy.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Just received this IMP. To my eyes, it seems to be a very high quality Meerschaum pipe. I'm going to smoke it 2 or 3 times per day for a month to see how much it colors. Tough taking a good photo of a pure white pipe. 1.3 oz, smokes really nice and feels good in the hand. They called it a cobra shape. Passes a pipe cleaner easily.