Fashion brought a move away from clay pipes as other, less fragile materials, such as briar and cherry wood became more easily available. In the 20th century these would be produced with plastic or metal stems and plastic mouthpieces.

What were old clay pipes used for?

Source: Source: This clay pipe, made circa 1800, was used to convey water around the site of Mission San Luis Rey (located in modern-day Oceanside, California). The pipe stayed in active service delivering water until 1957. Source: Courtesy of the National Clay Pipe Institute.