"Talbert Pipes" is an artisan pipe brand representing the artistic creations of Trever & Emily Talbert. About Trever Talbert Trever has been something of an obsessive-creative for most of his adult life, in one form or another.  From writing to painting to illustration work, he always attempts to push the boundaries of his medium to their extremes, while venerating classical techniques at the same time.  Trever spent years drawing and painting before entering the world of pipes, and was introduced to the pipe world by winning the very first international pipe-carving contest sponsored by Pipes & Tobaccos magazine.  From that auspicious start, his award-winning pipe creations have been sold to discerning collectors around the world, in styles ranging from rigorous interpretations of the classic designs, to fantasy creations of his own imagination, often with a surrealist or gothic quality. About Emily Talbert Emily graduated Macalester college in 1987 with a degree in Studio Art, and has over the course of her life worked in stained glass, glass fusing, jewelry design and fabrication, and bead weaving, before joining the Talbert Pipes workshop full-time in 2002.  Since then, she has worked as an equal partner, producing beautiful hand-carved creations with a strong classical flavor and collaborating in all aspects of the creative design process...  All while also serving as our chief French translator and business accounts supervisor.  For a time, she also created and sold a line of high-grade pens, but the production demands of Talbert Pipes have forced us to focus entirely on pipe production for several years now.  In future it is hoped that she will find time to introduce a limited line of handmade jewelry to our various workshop creations. The Talbert Pipes Story After making Talbert Pipes a full-time business in 1999 (following a year of successful part-time sales to collectors worldwide, and several previous years of private carving for friends), the brand gained an immediate reputation for originality, quality, and customer service.  A great deal of this initial success stems from Trever & Emily's previous ten years+ working "real jobs" in the family heating & AC company, where both gained crucial experience in sales, promotion, accounting, and the successful management of a modern business.  This, coupled with being an early internet pioneer in the pipes world, helped Talbert Pipes establish itself quickly as a successful marque.  Trever also made numerous contacts worldwide through his creation of the Talbert Pipes pipemaking instruction website, where he shared techniques and tips with other makers, both amateur and professional.  This site has since closed, but its presence has been more than surpasssed by today's Pipemakers' Forum created by Tyler Beard.   In 2002, the Talberts purchased a home, fully-equipped pipemaking workshop, and considerable briar stock from a retiring French pipemaker in the Brittany region of western France.  This initiated an enormously challenging relocation from the USA to France, where they live and work now.  Stories of their cultural adventures and misadventures can be read in their "personal life" blog, An American Pipemaker in Brittany.  Today, the Talbert Pipes workshop continues to create beautiful and original pipes available for direct sale through the Talbert Pipes catalog website and through a very select handful of dealers worldwide serving the European, American, Asian, and Russian markets.