‘Meerschaum’ is a a German word describing a soft mineral , which literally means ‘sea foam'. alluding to the belief that it was the compressed whitecaps of waves, just as it is said in mythology for the goddess of beauty - Aphrodite. It is of an opaque white or cr’am colour and when first extracted is soft and easily marked, but it hardens on exporuse to the sun or when dried in a warm room or in a furnace. To polish the pipes is very important. The polish must be good quality.

Most of the Meerschaum for commercial use is obtained from Asia Minor, chiefly from the plains of Eskisehir , Turkey , where it occurs in a small rounded lumps , in alluvial deposits which are extensively worked for its extraction. The extracted lumps are first scraped then dried, again scraped and then polished with wax. The rudely shaped Meerschaum is then taken into workshops, where it is skilfully carved by hand into beautiful pipes, or turned and carved into cigarette and cigar holders and articles of adornment.