Eternity Sign Backgammon Set with Classic Outline

Eternity Sign Backgammon Set with Classic Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

The Armenian eternity sign, its curved rays turning on a smooth round disc, carved in a rope-and-bead ring on a honeycomb-stippled lid. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the Armenian family that wants the sign and nothing else — no mountain, no church, just the whirl. The disc is left smooth and raised a little, so the rays read as clean curves of light and shadow rather than a busy carving; round it the ring is roped and beaded, the fields are cut into a fine honeycomb stipple with cusped edges, and diamond lattice fills the outer panels to the rope border. Honey-brown stain, square frame, moulded rim.

Inside, the field is the same honey brown, with pale points tipped in fleur-de-lys, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half and an ornate bronze hinge on the bar. For the first backgammon board in an Armenian home, the wedding gift from the godfather, and the player who wants the symbol without the fuss.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained honey brown and varnished
• Carving: Armenian eternity sign with curved rays on a smooth raised disc inside a rope-and-bead ring; honeycomb-stippled fields with cusped edges; diamond lattice outer panels; rope borders; lattice on the back
• Outline: Classic — a square frame with a moulded rim
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• One sign, done well: a single eternity whirl on a smooth disc, so the lid reads from across the room and never looks crowded.
• Worked to the edge: honeycomb stipple in the fields and lattice in the corners mean the plain-looking lid is carved all over once you get close.
• 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

Is the carving real? Yes. The rays of the sign are cut into the raised disc, the honeycomb stipple and lattice are carved into the fields around it, and the rope-and-bead ring is cut into the same lid. Stain and varnish come last; nothing is printed, cast 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.