@ Eyechess: Wow. Those chips really do look nearly identical. I wonder what caused it. Perhaps it was indeed a brittler batch of walnut pieces. On the other hand, I really like the way Gregor handled all of this, especially considering you purchased these pieces nearly 8 years ago. Do you have any idea what Gregor intends to do to "soften" the edges on your new set? Will he simply reduce the size of the rings, or make them thicker?
Looking for a quality set

A real chess afficionado owns at least ten chess sets. Don't spend too much time on making the decision; simply buy whatever appeals to you now.
O Eyechess, it was painful reading about your black Queens. I'm glad things worked out!