Pomegranate and Grapes Backgammon Set with Contour Outline

Pomegranate and Grapes Backgammon Set with Contour Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

A scrolled contour frame — swelling shoulders, curled corners — with the braided-cross ring of pomegranates and grapes at its centre and no mountain on top. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the buyer who liked the Ararat one but wants a cleaner line. The frame keeps the curves — the edge swells out, curls in at the feet, carries a stepped moulding all round — but the top runs in a low scroll instead of peaks. The ring is the family's: four plaited arms from a faceted star, a smooth crowned pomegranate in one gap, a dozen carved berries in the next, a scalloped leaf border round it. Honeycomb in cusped panels either side, lattice corners.

The stain is a deep chestnut, so the pale points inside stand out sharply when you open it: fleur-de-lys tips, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar. Two eternity whirls in cusped panels on the back. For the Armenian wedding, the father-in-law, and the table that hosts on Sundays.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained dark chestnut and varnished
• Carving: braided cross with a faceted star centre, four pomegranates and four grape clusters in relief between the plaited arms, in a scalloped leaf border and rope ring on a stippled ground; cusped panels of honeycomb stippling and diamond lattice; rope borders; stepped moulded rim; eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Contour — scrolled edges with swelling shoulders and curled corners
• 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

• Curves without the peaks: the contour frame gives the scrolled silhouette on its own, for the shelf where a mountain would be too much.
• Deep enough to shadow: the cross stands off the ground far enough that the plaits throw their own shadows, so the pattern shifts with the light in the room.
• 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 cross, the fruit and the leaf border are carved in relief into the beech; the honeycomb, lattice and rope borders are cut into the lid; the contour edge and its moulding are shaped from the board itself. Stain and varnish come last; 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.