What Does Bruyere Garantie Stand For?

[watro]

I am new to smoking pipes, so far I've used a really old pipe a friend lent me which just tastes awesome.
I've been offered a cheap starting pipe unbranded, only with the Bruyere Garantie seal. What does it mean? The pipe looks good, does the seal mean is not going to be a crappy pipe?

 

[boudreaux]

Although one of the gurus on here will probably give you detailed info, I would suggest searching on a site like pipedia for more info. Seems on the surface to be only a vendor (and model?) rather than any kind of statement of quality.
If the pipe smokes well, enjoy it for that. ::

 

[smokeybear]

Always thought it was a sale pitch and it wasn't real briar like leather is real pleather is fake sort of thing.

 

[lraisch]

I would interpret this as "Genuine Briar". I think it was a common way to make an ordinary briar sound a little more impressive. Lots of no-name and basket pipes used to be marked that way.

 

[watro]

yeah, I looked at pipedia, and there was nothing there. Though looking over the internet it seems that it's what they put on non-branded pipes to say they are made from briar wood.
Thanks!

 

[wayneteipen]

I'm not an expert and maybe one of the pipe historians can correct me but I believe pipes started being stamped with that during the WWII era when briar was difficult to come by due to the war. Due to the inaccessibility of briar, companies started using alternative materials like mountain laurel and "mission briar" (manzanita) that were in abundance in the US. These two trees are in the heath tree family and are very similar but considered to be inferior for pipes. The stamping means "guaranteed briar" and indicates that it's the traditional briar from the heath tree that grows in the Mediterranean.

 

[pitchfork]

Wayne, I think I've seen the information you're referencing, but I believe it was "Imported Briar" that was adopted to differentiate from mountain laurel and mission briar.
Lots of French and German pipes, even pre-war ones, were given the label "Bruyere Garantie." At least the ones I've seen for sale were listed as being from the 1920s and 30s. But I suspect that is a genuine date for those because many of them had horn stems, which are much rarer in post-war pipes and some of them definitely had an Art Deco/Art Nouveau look about them as well as old-fashioned rounded buttons.
Here's one: www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Antique-Six-Sided-Bruyere-Garantie-French-1920s-Estate-Pipe-/271260536684?

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Adding to Mr Deniz comments here,I have noticed the stamping Bruyere Garantie-St Claude appears often on the second class french make pipes

 

[dunstanhillwell62]

Adding to Mr Deniz comments here,I have noticed the stamping Bruyere Garantie-St Claude appears often on the second class french make pipes

That is correct. I have got a couple of those and a couple that say "Bruyère Garantie - Made in France".

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Bruyere Garantie,and furter one level up comes Bruyere Superieur