What about “Sardinian Briar”?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

gatorlope

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 5, 2019
503
196
South Florida
I recently acquired a small lot of ten estate pipes. One was a Calabash in decent shape and the other nine were evidently briars in need of cleaning, but makers etc. weren’t obvious in the ad.2734
Two of them were marked as Sardinian Briar and I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about that.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I haven't heard Sardinian briar praised in particular, but it may be a premium briar. I think Italian briar is considered good. Algerian briar used to be extolled as premium, but I think the sources were reduced or eliminated by political struggles. Since brands were not specified, I suspect this lot was not expensive. Briar harvesting is hard labor.
 

gatorlope

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 5, 2019
503
196
South Florida
I haven't heard Sardinian briar praised in particular, but it may be a premium briar. I think Italian briar is considered good. Algerian briar used to be extolled as premium, but I think the sources were reduced or eliminated by political struggles. Since brands were not specified, I suspect this lot was not expensive. Briar harvesting is hard labor.
I trashed two of the pipes.one was made of wood and not worth the effort to clean up and the other had as much filler in the finished surface as it did briar!
The two that are stamped “Sardinian Briar” were a Paronelli and a Casta Bardo.
The rest included a Calabresi, a Jobey, a St. Ives and, of course, the Calabash.
No maker’s marks on the other two-
one was lightly used and only stamped “ITALY” It looks like a Cassano Mare except for the black mouthpiece.
The last one was obviously a favorite- long and lovingly used to the point that the makers’ stamp and any hallmarks on the wide silver band were worn away.

I’ve tried them all and am very pleased with them.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Jobey is a good French pipe, after moving from France to England, then to the U.S. and now back to France. So who knows where yours was made. I have one; it's good. I think St. Ives is a Tinder Box house pipe, and some of them, like my first pipe I still have, were made by Chacom, another good French brand. Glad you like your keepers.
 

mngslvs

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 24, 2019
256
530
Yarmouth, Maine
Briar origin quality is the source of endless speculation. In the end, there seem to be no hard answers as to superiority of one over another, at least as far as I can tell.
But I will say I was floored when I read that one noted Danish pipemaker stated that briar was briar and not important !!
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,832
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Briar origin quality is the source of endless speculation. In the end, there seem to be no hard answers as to superiority of one over another, at least as far as I can tell.
But I will say I was floored when I read that one noted Danish pipemaker stated that briar was briar and not important !!
Briar IS briar. It isn't jello.

As to importance, well, it would be hard to make a briar pipe without briar, so I guess it has SOME importance. It may be that Danish pipe making is of no importance in equal measure to briar being of no importance, or at least Danish pipe making punditry, which is of absolutely no importance.

Now as to origin, well that probably isn't of great importance. Whether the wood is of good quality and how it is processed is important and good and bad quality wood comes from all around the Mediterranean.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.