Today we want our meerschaum pipes uniformly light. Was it always this way?
It occurred to me that any stone that’s quarried has variations in quality and density depending on where it comes from. I imagine this is true of meerschaum.
I have a variety of pipes covering a span of maybe 140 years. The large Euro can style pipes are real lunkers and seem quite dense. American branded pipes from the 29th century exhibit a variety of weights and hardness. Even Kaywoodies from the mid 20th century seem to show some variation. So is meerschaum graded according to those qualities. Were earlier makers less discriminating than today.
And I know the difference between African and Turkish meerscham.
Would the Europeans have had access to the African material in the 19th century? Would the Americans?
It occurred to me that any stone that’s quarried has variations in quality and density depending on where it comes from. I imagine this is true of meerschaum.
I have a variety of pipes covering a span of maybe 140 years. The large Euro can style pipes are real lunkers and seem quite dense. American branded pipes from the 29th century exhibit a variety of weights and hardness. Even Kaywoodies from the mid 20th century seem to show some variation. So is meerschaum graded according to those qualities. Were earlier makers less discriminating than today.
And I know the difference between African and Turkish meerscham.
Would the Europeans have had access to the African material in the 19th century? Would the Americans?
