Armenian Backgammon Set - Flower and Interlace Ornaments

Armenian Backgammon Set - Flower and Interlace Ornaments

A carver can usually do one of these beautifully. This handmade Armenian backgammon set has both, side by side, and quietly asks you to notice the difference. On one half of the lid a flower opens in deep relief, petal by petal, soft and generous. On the other, an interlaced ornament runs strand over strand in perfect order — never crossing wrong, never breaking, never quite letting you find where it started. Carved scrollwork joins the two across the middle like a handshake between two entirely different disciplines.

Which of them you prefer probably says something about you, and so does the way you play. Backgammon seats two temperaments at the same board every single time: the one who plays by feel and the one who counts every pip. Open the clasps, let the bronze hinges swing back, and the full 23.6" / 60 cm playing field is waiting for both of them. This is a luxury backgammon set in the honest sense of the word — real hours of hand-carving on a wooden backgammon board that still gets lifted by its cut-out handle and carried to wherever tonight's game is happening.

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

• Two full ornaments on one lid — a carved flower and an interlaced pattern, each cut by hand
• Scrollwork running between them, right out to the carved border
• Folds shut on bronze hinges and travels by its own cut-out carry handle
• A luxury Armenian backgammon board with twice the carving of an ordinary one

A Gift For Someone With an Eye

Give it to the person who turns things over to look at how they were made. They will find the flower first, because everyone does — and then spend a while longer on the interlace, trying to follow one strand all the way round. Nobody ever manages it. That is rather the point, and the games have to start eventually.