Posted 12 years ago
curtisthew…
(1 item)
I had this pipe for a while I've never used it mainly because the word Amiante means asbestos in French! The pipe is 8 inches long and the bowl is about 7/8 inches in diameter. I am pretty sure that the stem is bone. I sure would like to know more. Thank you.
This is very beautiful!!
Hi there,
This pipe was made by Victor Belle in the first quarter of the 19th century. Serves is a small town somewhere between Lyon and Valance in France. Belle was a pipe maker who made fairly simple models for the working class. The stem is made of Gutta Percha, or hard rubber which is vulcanised latex.
Amiante indeed means asbestos. For a while pipe makers experimented with this material, sometimes in pure form and sometimes mixed in with clay because of its fire retardant properties. Because the material was new and modern the name was sometimes used simply because it was hip, rather then a reference to the material used.
I believe this is such a case.
Hope this helps,
Arjan de Haan