The stone this pipe is made from, however, was bought directly from a Native American. It’s Minnesota Catlinite, mined at the Pipestone National Monument. Native Americans hold exclusive license to mine the deposit, a thin layer of “pay rock” that exists below 10 feet of some of the hardest stone on earth, quartzite. Only hand tools are allowed; miners return to the same claims year after year, taking a few feet each spring. Catlinite is expensive for this reason. This pipe is a combination of modern and ancient smoking implements. I’ve carved a modern English Apple Bowl Tobacco pipe with ancient Native American Alate pipe “wings”. The wings are an oval, carved in 3 dimensions, an upside down dish, which serves the function of a handle. This awesome piece of rock has maroon/pink background with white and purple “starfield” inclusions. I’ve incorporated a few small patches of the rough natural cortex from the original rock into the design, giving the freshly carved piece an ancient feel. Measures 5 1/2 inches long by 1 7/8 inches wide by 1 1/4 inches tall. Bowl capacity is the equivalent of one cigarette worth of tobacco. This stone is famous for it’s heat retention capacity, this provides a cooler smoke and smoother draw. Weighs 196.40 grams (almost eight ounces).
