Meerschaum...or Mere Scam?
- Thread starter David_Lawrence
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Yep. My autocorrect has gone off the deep end lately.
I would do it myself but I threw away all my meers back in the Spring.
mso489 said:
This is what concerns me somewhat. All that tends to be stated is that it's genuine Turkish block, with the most detail being Etsy seller 'Turmeermar' saying:
Which is nice to know, although I could be unreasonably cynical and note that he's not actually saying his pipes are made from said blocks! While I'm joking there, I really would like more detail as if nothing else it leaves me with little on which to base my choice. Every pipe is "100% Genuine Turkish block" (as opposed to that 98% genuine stuff, right?) and so aside from designs, it's a bit of a crapshoot.
One other thing that puts me off with some is the stems - I'm not a fan of this sort:
Which is a shame as it comes in at £100 and the basket-like bowl is really beautiful with a pleasing pot like shape.
What I really like is this:
Now that's a basket fit for a king cobra, and with a stem that's just as fine. This one is £125 and described as "double layered XL pipe" with a length of 18.5cm and a weight of 101g. Makes sense so far, but wait...
What we have here is a "double layered large pipe", 15.5cm in length and weighing just 80g. Riddle me this though, what could account for it coming in at a whopping £180?
These are from 'The Pipe Shop - Edinburgh' and I do get very good wholesome vibes from their outlet but the fact that all of their meerschaum pipes (beside the budget option from pressed meerschaum) have the same description leaves me scratching my head.
And while I'm spamming the pipe pics, here's one from our friend Turmeermar:
£137 with free postage (and a £20 customs fee most likely) - 16cm in length, weight unstated.
I love the thought of owning any of these, stubby stemmed aside, but it's hard to throw down £150 approx ($180) without a little more detail besides size, weight and the promise of 100% genuine block. If anyone knows of any pertinent questions to ask of these sellers, that'd be of help. Thanks again all around for the responses, I'd never have guessed that a pipe magazine website's specific subcategory forums would be so active. I love this place.
I wished some of the more experienced Meerschaum smokers would respond to you.
With the disclaimer YMMV ... the first three pipes look genuine block Meerschaum to me. The fourth one is more exquisitely carved. It is a either a high grade carving or a pressed meerschaum- though at the price point, I would vote that it is a block Meerschaum as well.
Despite the hue and cry of block vs pressed, my experience (with my 4 pipes + 1 Meerschaum falcon bowl) says if the seller is reputable, if they state it’s a block Meerschaum it is a block Meerschaum. Turkish carvers won’t waste their time with pressed. Also, unless it is a museum quality carving, there will be some tiny asymmetry which will tell you that it is hand carved. I see the first three pipes have minor asymmetry, which makes me 90% confident that they are hand carved.
If you are in doubt, go with a seller you can trust, apply the tongue test, and then smoke a few bowls. Absolute test of a block Meerschaum is that it would color. It should start to color within the first few smoke.
With the disclaimer YMMV ... the first three pipes look genuine block Meerschaum to me. The fourth one is more exquisitely carved. It is a either a high grade carving or a pressed meerschaum- though at the price point, I would vote that it is a block Meerschaum as well.
Despite the hue and cry of block vs pressed, my experience (with my 4 pipes + 1 Meerschaum falcon bowl) says if the seller is reputable, if they state it’s a block Meerschaum it is a block Meerschaum. Turkish carvers won’t waste their time with pressed. Also, unless it is a museum quality carving, there will be some tiny asymmetry which will tell you that it is hand carved. I see the first three pipes have minor asymmetry, which makes me 90% confident that they are hand carved.
If you are in doubt, go with a seller you can trust, apply the tongue test, and then smoke a few bowls. Absolute test of a block Meerschaum is that it would color. It should start to color within the first few smoke.
This is what concerns me somewhat. All that tends to be stated is that it's genuine Turkish block, with the most detail being Etsy seller 'Turmeermar' saying:
Which is nice to know, although I could be unreasonably cynical and note that he's not actually saying his pipes are made from said blocks! While I'm joking there, I really would like more detail as if nothing else it leaves me with little on which to base my choice. Every pipe is "100% Genuine Turkish block" (as opposed to that 98% genuine stuff, right?) and so aside from designs, it's a bit of a crapshoot.
One other thing that puts me off with some is the stems - I'm not a fan of this sort:
Which is a shame as it comes in at £100 and the basket-like bowl is really beautiful with a pleasing pot like shape.
What I really like is this:
Now that's a basket fit for a king cobra, and with a stem that's just as fine. This one is £125 and described as "double layered XL pipe" with a length of 18.5cm and a weight of 101g. Makes sense so far, but wait...
What we have here is a "double layered large pipe", 15.5cm in length and weighing just 80g. Riddle me this though, what could account for it coming in at a whopping £180?
These are from 'The Pipe Shop - Edinburgh' and I do get very good wholesome vibes from their outlet but the fact that all of their meerschaum pipes (beside the budget option from pressed meerschaum) have the same description leaves me scratching my head.
And while I'm spamming the pipe pics, here's one from our friend Turmeermar:
£137 with free postage (and a £20 customs fee most likely) - 16cm in length, weight unstated.
I love the thought of owning any of these, stubby stemmed aside, but it's hard to throw down £150 approx ($180) without a little more detail besides size, weight and the promise of 100% genuine block. If anyone knows of any pertinent questions to ask of these sellers, that'd be of help. Thanks again all around for the responses, I'd never have guessed that a pipe magazine website's specific subcategory forums would be so active. I love this place.
This is what concerns me somewhat. All that tends to be stated is that it's genuine Turkish block, with the most detail being Etsy seller 'Turmeermar' saying:
Which is nice to know, although I could be unreasonably cynical and note that he's not actually saying his pipes are made from said blocks! While I'm joking there, I really would like more detail as if nothing else it leaves me with little on which to base my choice. Every pipe is "100% Genuine Turkish block" (as opposed to that 98% genuine stuff, right?) and so aside from designs, it's a bit of a crapshoot.
One other thing that puts me off with some is the stems - I'm not a fan of this sort:
Which is a shame as it comes in at £100 and the basket-like bowl is really beautiful with a pleasing pot like shape.
What I really like is this:
Now that's a basket fit for a king cobra, and with a stem that's just as fine. This one is £125 and described as "double layered XL pipe" with a length of 18.5cm and a weight of 101g. Makes sense so far, but wait...
What we have here is a "double layered large pipe", 15.5cm in length and weighing just 80g. Riddle me this though, what could account for it coming in at a whopping £180?
These are from 'The Pipe Shop - Edinburgh' and I do get very good wholesome vibes from their outlet but the fact that all of their meerschaum pipes (beside the budget option from pressed meerschaum) have the same description leaves me scratching my head.
And while I'm spamming the pipe pics, here's one from our friend Turmeermar:
£137 with free postage (and a £20 customs fee most likely) - 16cm in length, weight unstated.
I love the thought of owning any of these, stubby stemmed aside, but it's hard to throw down £150 approx ($180) without a little more detail besides size, weight and the promise of 100% genuine block. If anyone knows of any pertinent questions to ask of these sellers, that'd be of help. Thanks again all around for the responses, I'd never have guessed that a pipe magazine website's specific subcategory forums would be so active. I love this place.
If you already know what you want, consider commissioning a carver to make you a custom pipe. Most will only sign pipes made from block meerschaum as their form of garauntee so if you're set on one of those pictured, I would ask who the craftsman is. If it's an unknown shop or carver then personally I wouldn't bother...
Mind you, not all pipes are signed but some carvers have a recognizable style. (ex. Erdogan Muhsin tends to carve flowing organic shapes with his freehand pipes).
With my limited travels in meerschaum land, I can recommend Ali Birinci (Germany) . He's a very kind Turkish gentleman who takes commissions (he understands English but example pics are much easier to work with). He offers fair pricing on his larger pipes and one of the few carvers that fit 9mm filters if you're looking for one.
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