Tree of Life Walnut Backgammon Set in Blue Epoxy, Medium

Tree of Life Walnut Backgammon Set in Blue Epoxy, Medium by Hrachya Ohanyan

A tree of life cut from the walnut and left standing — trunk, spreading branches, every leaf and two small birds — over a disc of pearl-blue resin. This is the 50 cm / 19.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in walnut, with 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the christening, the new flat, and the player who wants the tree of life in wood and sky rather than carved in brown. The tree is the lid itself: cut round every leaf and bird and left proud while pearl-blue resin is poured into the disc around it and polished level, so the walnut reads as a silhouette against a swirl of blue. A rope-and-bead ring holds it; cusped panels of chip-carved star lattice and diamond lattice fill the rest to the corners.

Inside, the walnut stays natural and the work is line: cross-hatched points under fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, and a stamped brass hinge on the bar. Closed, it takes the space of a laptop bag. For the baby's first Christmas, the nursery shelf that becomes a games shelf, and the player who wants a tree that never loses its leaves.

Specifications

• Size open: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Size folded: 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished; pearl-blue epoxy resin around the tree
• Decoration: a tree of life — trunk, branches, leaves and two birds — cut from the walnut and left standing over a pour of pearl-blue epoxy resin, sanded flush and polished, inside a rope-and-bead ring; cusped panels of chip-carved star lattice either side; diamond lattice on the outer fields; rope-and-bead borders; petal wheels in scrolled rings and cross-hatched points 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

• Epoxy-inlaid walnut backgammon board, carved lattice around the disc
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Wood tree on a blue sky: the leaves and birds are the walnut lid left standing and the blue is poured round them, so the tree is real wood and the sky is glass-smooth resin.
• Medium and portable: the whole lid — tree, lattice, rope borders — is there at the smaller size, on a board that fits a coffee table and a weekend bag.
• 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 the birds part of the carving? Yes — two small birds sit in the branches, cut from the walnut like the leaves and left standing while the blue resin is poured round them and polished flush, so they read pale against the sky. The lattice panels either side are chip-carved, the inside is 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.