I bought a Peterson p-lip meerschaum (kind of quasi-author shape) off ebay a few weeks back. I would post pictures, but I have yet to figure out how to do that from google photos (arg!). It's got what I can only describe as a kind of "pebbly" finish that the guy I bought it from told me is called "coral". He's a good guy and I have no reason to doubt him. Even after giving a couple thorough scrubbings with a stiff brush, it was and mostly remains a dull brownish-gray color. We even dubbed it "the turd pipe" for obvious reasons. I love it and smoke the hell out of it, several times a day, no complaints whatsoever. But it's started taking on a bright pinkish red color on the bottom of the shank and on the side of the bowl where my index and middle finger rest. Kind of the color of cranberry juice. It just makes it uglier than it already was, and I love me an ugly pipe, so again, no complaints. But plenty of curiosity. Could this possibly be meerschaum coloring? My impression was that it's almost certainly not block meerschaum, even if it's from the Manx factory, so I can't imagine that's real live coloring. Or could it be an old finish that is getting revealed by heat and/or the oils on my fingers? It is reddest at the spot that the exterior gets hottest. That's also probably where the meerschaum is thinnest. Can anyone enlighten me about this? I haven't been able to find much information about Peterson meers online. Thanks in advance!