Jima

Jima is a system pipe that emerged in 1960s France. In place of the single wooden mass one usually thinks of as a pipe, three separate materials take over here: a hard-plastic outer shell, a silver- or gold-plated steel frame connecting that shell to the stem, and an independent bowl hidden inside the shell. On examples sent for export the brand name changes to Garland; according to sources, this name is also found on a limited number of Dutch examples.

Bowl and Body

The actual chamber where tobacco burns is a pressed white-clay piece set inside the visible plastic shell. Because of its white color and porous texture, these bowls have sometimes been mistaken for meerschaum or sepiolite; in reality the material is a relative of traditional clay-pipe paste. The connection is threaded: it is tightened with an Allen wrench, and the same wrench loosens it to remove the bowl from its seat. Plastic compression gaskets are fitted where both the bowl and the moisture-catching tip (stinger) sit. The gaskets serve two purposes — keeping tar and moisture inside, and preventing stray air from leaking in during the draw.

The body was produced in several colors. Black and ivory are reported to have stood out, while mottled pastel tones tried later did not draw the expected interest. The stem is plastic in some series and metal in others; its underside mostly reads "Breveté France & Etranger" or "Modèle Deposé Made in France." These choices also set Jima apart from the briar pipes of its era in terms of stem materials.