Luxury Walnut Shell Backgammon Set in Turquoise Epoxy, Two-Sided

Luxury Walnut Shell Backgammon Set in Turquoise Epoxy, Two-Sided by Hrachya Ohanyan

Real walnut shells, sliced and set edge to edge in pearl-turquoise epoxy, fill both covers from rim to rim — a hundred small rings of nut on a sea of green-blue. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline, two-sided. Handmade in walnut, 32 checkers, dice, branded case.

This is the board for the room that already has too much brown, the collector of odd materials, and the player who wants a lid nobody can name at first glance. The shells are the nut of the same tree the board is cut from: each is sliced through, laid on the lid with its chambers open, and drowned in resin that sets pearl-turquoise, then sanded flush and polished until the shells read like fossils in stone. A walnut frame with a moulded edge holds each cover.

Open, the colour stops and the walnut takes over: cross-hatched points in line work under fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark on the bar. Closed, it shows the shells whichever way it lies. For the design studio, the coastal house, and the player who wants the tree's fruit on top and its wood underneath.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished; sliced walnut shells set in pearl-turquoise epoxy resin on both covers
• Decoration: real walnut shells, sliced through and laid open, set edge to edge in pearl-turquoise epoxy resin, sanded flush and polished, filling both covers inside a walnut frame with a moulded edge; cross-hatched points with fleur-de-lys tips and petal wheels in scrolled rings in line work inside
• Outline: Classic — straight edges and square corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Walnut backgammon board with walnut shells in epoxy on both covers
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• The nut and the wood: the covers are walnut shells and the board is walnut timber — the same tree twice, once as fruit under glass-smooth resin, once as grain under the checkers.
• Both covers, edge to edge: the shells run to the frame on both faces, so there is no plain side and no motif to centre — the whole lid is the picture.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Are those real walnut shells? Yes — real shells, sliced through so the inner chambers show, laid on the walnut cover and cast in turquoise epoxy that is left to cure, then sanded flush and polished so the surface is perfectly level and the shells sit under it like stones in water. Every shell is different, so every board is its own. The inside is plain walnut with the game cut in line work, and the board is varnished. Nothing is printed or applied.

What about shipping and returns? Shipping is free to the US, Canada and Europe, always tracked; other countries pay a flat $100 (Brazil, Chile and New Zealand $200). Every set is covered by our 30-day returns policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.