Chess pieces set made of real horn handmade

Note: The horn chessboard is NOT included in the offer!

The figures are faithfully handcrafted based on French models from the late 19th century.

THE MATERIAL
It all begins with the raw horn. Real horn can only be worked by hand, as each horn is different. The tip and base of the horn are unusable. The tip is too thin, and the base of the horn is hollow.
Only the middle part of the horn can be used to make the figures. Watusi cattle horn is used for the light-colored figures, and water buffalo horn is used for the black ones.

THE CHESS PIECES
The hand-turning requires great craftsmanship. Differences in shape
The pieces should not have any of these if possible. The pressure with which the tool hits the rotating workpiece is particularly important: excessive pressure heats up the horn, knocks it out of the mold, and renders it unusable. It takes the master craftsman about five hours to craft the 32 pieces of a chess set.
The king (the highest piece) is 8.5 cm tall, a pawn measures about 4 cm.