The sherd is very fine, and contains tiny laths of golden mica and rare lime grits. The usual color of the sherd is brownish orange, but may vary from yellowish-brown to dark red. Whether decorated or not, these pipes always have a burnished surface finished with orange-red engobe (except when they were in an aggressive post-depositional environment). The Tophane products are also very well known by their golden decorations. Due to the carefully managed firing conditions, all the vessels of this ware are of a high quality and are attractive.
The Tophane pipes are of two main shapes – disc based, dated the first half of nineteenth century, and lily shape, dated to the second half of the nineteenth century and until 1920's.