Eternity Sign Backgammon Checkers with Cast Metal Emblem, Set of 32

Eternity Sign Backgammon Checkers with Cast Metal Emblem, Set of 32 by Hrachya Ohanyan

The Armenian eternity sign cast in metal and set into the face of every checker — silver-toned on the pale pieces, bronze-toned on the dark. These are the 32 wooden backgammon checkers made by Hrachya Ohanyan: 16 in beech, 16 in walnut, about 3 cm / 1.2″ across, velvet on the base, in a branded box.

This is the set for the player who owns an Armenian board and wants the sign on the pieces too, the gift for the friend who has everything except good checkers, and the replacement for a set that lost two to the sofa. Each whirl is a separate cast emblem — twelve curved blades round a hollow centre — seated in a recess so it sits flush and turns with the piece.

The bodies are turned from solid beech and walnut, the rim left smooth for the fingers, a disc of velvet on the underside so they slide without a sound. The metal is a zinc-aluminium alloy with bronze, finished in two tones so the two sides read at a glance. For the Yerevan flat, the diaspora table, and anyone whose board came without them.

Specifications

• Set: 32 checkers — 16 in pale beech, 16 in dark walnut
• Size: about 3 cm / 1.2″ across
• Material: beech and walnut wood, turned and varnished; emblems cast in zinc-aluminium alloy with bronze
• Decoration: the Armenian eternity sign (arevakhach) cast in metal on the face of every checker — silver-toned on the beech pieces, bronze-toned on the walnut — seated in a recess
• Base: velvet on the underside of every piece
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• 32 backgammon checkers with the eternity sign, 16 beech and 16 walnut, velvet bases
• Branded presentation box

Why You'll Love It

• The sign on every piece: the arevakhach that turns on khachkars and church walls, cast in metal and set into the wood — not printed, not stuck on.
• Two woods, two metals: silver on pale beech, bronze on dark walnut, so the sides tell apart from across the table and the set looks made, not matched.
• Made for the maker's boards: the same checkers that ship with the Hrachya Ohanyan 50 cm and 60 cm sets — the size and weight the points were cut for.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the emblem metal or painted? Metal. Each eternity sign is cast in a zinc-aluminium alloy with bronze, finished silver on the beech pieces and bronze on the walnut, and seated in a shallow recess cut into the face of the checker. The wood is turned and varnished; the underside carries velvet. Nothing is printed.

Will they fit my board? They are the standard checkers of the maker's 50 cm and 60 cm boards, about 3 cm / 1.2″ across. Measure the width of one point on your board where the checkers sit: 3 cm or more and they fit. No dice are included — this is the set of checkers only.

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 them? Wipe with a dry, soft cloth; keep them out of damp and away from radiators, and store them in their box or on the board.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. The workshop turns and finishes its own checkers for every board it makes, which is why these sit so naturally on a hand-carved set. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

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