Description
Tagua Nut (Vegetable Ivory) Sea Life Chess Set.
Offered here is a Tagua Nut Sea Life Chess Set, natural and black. The King measures around 2” by 1-1/2”. The King is an Orca, the Queen, a Dolphin. The Rooks are sea turtles and the Knights are seahorses. The bishops are Angelfish and the Pawns Penguins. The pieces of this tagua nut chess sets are hand-carved from multiple tagua nuts from Ecuador that have been specifically selected for their size and shape. The outer skin of the tagua nut is dark brown, and the white is the inside of the nut with the skin removed. Each nut is sanded and polished. The chessmen are made in sections – and then joined. Tagua nuts are also known as Vegetable Ivory. The chessmen are housed in the attractive mosaic box shown. The chessmen in this set are as new. The chessboards shown are not included, but a suitable chessboard can be found elsewhere on this site.
Tagua trees grow in the upper Amazonas, where the nuts are harvested when soft and easily carved. When they dry, they harden to consistency similar to ivory, and have therefore been used for decorative turning and carving purposes.