Check Mate

When games become a work of art, a diamond studded work of art that is, you know you’re probably looking at a creation from the Charles Hollander Collection. For chess players for whom money is no object HR Diamond’s Royal Chess set is the ultimate move to checkmate even the top master.

 

According to the company, the ‘comfortable and practical 19X19 dimensions will give many pleasurable hours of play’. Comfort and practicality though probably aren’t at the top of the mind of buyers for this unique chess set. Creating the set craftsmen used some 1.2 kilograms of gold, 187 grams of silver, studded with an amazing 9,900 black and white diamonds totaling almost 187 carats.

For interested players, this game will set you back around $500,000 in store. But, never fear, if a pawn happens to disappear, replacements are available for around $10,000 to $15,000.

The designer behind this diamond game of wits was none other than famed master jeweler, Bernard Maquin who continued to collaborate with HR Diamonds on several other diamond encrusted objects du pleasure until his death last year. “I wanted to offer privileged chess players an object crafted with love and passion,” explains Hollander.

The company made seven sets and today only one remains, six have already been snapped up by what must be extremely wealthy chess fanatics. From gold and silver diamond chess sets, Maquin and HR Diamonds have produced several other toys for trillionaires including a roulette wheel and backgammon set that you won’t find even in the most exclusive casinos. And, if board games aren’t your style then the diamond golf ball just may be.

Backgammon for Billionaires

For this million dollar board game, designer Bernard Maquin used a few black, yellow and white diamonds set in gold and silver. To be more precise, he set 61,082 diamonds weighing an astounding 2,071.48 carats to create what without a doubt must be the most expensive and exquisite board game anywhere in the world. The piece took over 10,000 hours of labor to create a modern fantasy based on the geometric folk patterns of eastern art and architecture. The diamonds were set in over 6.77 kilograms of yellow gold and 150 grams of silver set both inside and outside the intricately detailed box measuring 54x39x3.5 cm when opened.

And the checkers? As would be expected, they’re diamond heavy, each checker set with diamonds using some 2,960 white diamonds to complete the dazzle. The price tag? “Well,” notes Charles Hollander of HR Diamonds “this game would retail for between $1.5 to $2 million”.

Wheel of Fortune

The priciest gaming wheel in the world calls for a minimum $400,000 - and this is before you’ve even laid the first bet. It took 30 skilled artisans over 4,800 hours to create the world’s most extravagant roulette wheel. Some 6,000 black, yellow and white diamonds totaling no less than 200 carats are set in 3.5 kilograms of 14K gold and 3 kilograms of silver to produce a gaming toy for the man that truly has everything. Art Nouveau sculpture and ornaments provide the inspiration behind the golden roulette, with intricate Asian flower designs on the outside fusing the East and West to provide a Wheel of Fortune for its very wealthy owner.