A German word meaning literally, "sea-foam," alluding to the belief that it was the compressed whitecaps of waves. Meerschaum is a mineral - hydrous silicate of magnesium - one of the most porous substances
found in nature. Composed of the fossilized shells of tiny sea creatures that fell to the ocean floor millions of years ago, meerschaum is found in red clay deposits. Meerschaum deposits of the highest quality are found
only in one place in the world - Eskishehir, in central Turkey.