Armenian Backgammon Set - Blossom and Vines

Armenian Backgammon Set - Blossom and Vines

Most carved boards pull your eye inward. This one sends it out. A single bold blossom opens at the centre of this handmade Armenian backgammon set, cut deep and clean, and from it the carved vines set off across the lid — curling, doubling back, filling the whole field right up to the fine border. Follow one of them and you end up at the edge of the board before you notice you have been travelling.

That is a very Armenian way to decorate something: begin with one good thing and let it grow until there is nowhere left to grow. It also happens to describe the game underneath. Open the clasps, let the bronze hinges swing back, and on the full 23.6" / 60 cm playing field your checkers do the same journey — out across the board, around the corner, and home. This hand-carved wooden backgammon board lifts by its cut-out handle and goes wherever the players are.

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

• Folded: 30 x 60 cm / 11.8 x 23.6"
• Open playing field: 60 x 60 cm / 23.6 x 23.6"
• Weight: 5 kg / 11 lb
• Wood: solid beech, with bronze hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia

Why It Stands Out

• One bold carved blossom at the centre with vines running out to the border
• The whole lid worked by hand — no plain ground left anywhere
• Folds shut on bronze hinges and travels by its own cut-out carry handle
• A handmade Armenian backgammon board in the oldest decorative language the country has

A Gift That Fits Any House

No emblem, no politics, no explaining — just very good carving of the kind Armenians have been doing for centuries. It suits the friend whose taste you are not entirely sure of, which makes it one of the safest fine gifts there is.