It may be normal. I had some black appearing along the jaw line of this fellow. But it's starting to blend to a dark brown.Hey lads,
I’ve had my meerschaum for just over 3 weeks now. I smoke about 7-10 bowls in it a day and last week these black spots appeared.
This has now spread as you can see in the 2nd picture.
My friends are telling me there is a leak or bleed and this is not normal colouring. It’s my first meer so I have no idea.
Or cap the chamber tightly with your palm and try blowing through it.See if you can suck air through that divot.
My first guess is like Warren said. Meerschaum is a fairly heterogeneous material, with some bits staying white while other areas color darker. Could just be different in composition in that area.