Armenian Backgammon Set - Three Trees of Life

Armenian Backgammon Set - Three Trees of Life

There is one tree at the centre and two smaller ones beside it, and once you see them as a family you cannot unsee it. The central tree of life on this handmade Armenian backgammon set is worked in bronze and pale wood, hung with coral-red fruit; the two smaller trees are cast in bronze and set either side of it, the same shape at a younger age. The whole field behind them is hand-cut into fine cross-hatching, which is why the metal reads so brightly from across a room.

That is the meaning of the symbol doing its job without anyone having to say it out loud: one generation, then the next, then the next. Armenians have carved this tree onto churches, chests and doorframes for well over a thousand years for precisely that reason. Open the clasps, let the bronze hinges swing back, and the playing field underneath is where the actual generations meet — a grandparent teaching, a child learning the bar point the hard way, and the same argument about doubles that every Armenian table has had.

It comes in three sizes, so you can choose the one your table can carry: 15.7" / 40 cm, 19.6" / 50 cm or a full 23.6" / 60 cm. All three fold shut on bronze hinges and lift by a cut-out handle, and all three are the same hand-carved wooden backgammon board underneath — just more or less of it.

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges, clasps and a cut-out carry handle
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood
• A pair of dice and a carrying bag

Specifications

• Available in three sizes: 40 x 40 cm / 15.7 x 15.7", 50 x 50 cm / 19.6 x 19.6", 60 x 60 cm / 23.6 x 23.6"
• Folds in half for storage: 20 x 40 cm / 7.9 x 15.7", 25 x 50 cm / 9.8 x 19.6", or 30 x 60 cm / 11.8 x 23.6"
• Wood: solid beech, with bronze details, hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia

Why It Stands Out

• A bronze tree of life with coral-red fruit, flanked by two smaller bronze trees
• The field around them hand-cut into fine cross-hatching so the metal carries the light
• Three sizes, from a compact travel board to a full-size table set
• A handmade Armenian backgammon board built on the country's oldest symbol of continuity

A Gift For a Growing Family

This is the board people buy for weddings, new houses and first grandchildren — the occasions where the tree means exactly what it looks like it means. Give the big one if it is going to live on a table, or the small one if it is going to travel; both end up getting used far more than anyone expects.