Meerschaum

Meerschaum is the pipe world's strongest tie to Türkiye. Scientifically named sepiolite, this mineral has for centuries been one of pipe making's most prized materials for its light, soft, porous structure. Its German-derived international name, Meerschaum, means "sea foam" — a nod to the stone's whiteness and lightness.

The comparison isn't unfounded either: with a density close to water's, and able to dip below it in dry blocks, meerschaum is one of the very few minerals that can float on water. The name "sepiolite" was coined in the 19th century by German mineralogist E. F. Glocker; derived from the Greek sepia, the name points to the stone's resemblance to cuttlebone.

Eskişehir's White Gold

The mineral sepiolite is found in many places around the world, from Greece to Spain, Morocco to the United States; but the commercially worked deposits of block meerschaum suitable for pipe making are, in practice, found only around Eskişehir. This exclusivity has also earned the stone names such as "Eskişehir stone," "white gold," and "aktaş" (white stone). The mines are clustered in a narrow area near the city; the stone is still extracted largely by traditional shaft-and-gallery methods and simple tools, from shafts running tens of meters down to depths exceeding 300 meters. At around 2 on the Mohs scale, the stone is soap-soft when it comes out of the mine still damp; carvers work extraordinarily detailed pipes — from sultans' busts to dragon figures — while the stone is still in this fresh state. As it dries it grows lighter and harder, becoming a powerful absorber of liquids and gases. Passed down through generations, Eskişehir meerschaum carving is today counted among Türkiye's living cultural heritage practices.

Two types are distinguished in the market: block meerschaum, meaning a solid natural nodule, and pressed meerschaum, made by pressing shavings and fragments with a binder. Large, crack-free, white, and homogeneous blocks are the most valuable; pressed stone, having largely lost its porosity and carvability, is considered second-tier.