Official Staunton's Amazing 1849 Antique Lacquered and Ebony Chess Set

I would love a Staunton chess set, I have seen on the house of Staunton and are really expensive, but beautiful, really beautiful.

Thank you TemplarsKnights, Indeed a magnificent set! 

Thanks Chuck,  Yes the Lacquer antique finish is amazing,. 

Thanks Liml, The antique finish looks even more impressive in person. Hopefully Official Staunton will do other sets with this gorgeous finish.

This is an exceptional looking set, Mike.

I notoriously do not like the larger sets, but this one is tempting me.

Thanks Ron, This set is at the top of my collection. My favorite size is sets with 4" Kings.  I  would like to see Carl make this set and other Jaques reproductions with 4" Kings

Fabulous looking set....I want one!

Hi Mike,

Really? That's weird because Macassar ebony has this big brown stripes like the black and white Ebony. However it  does looks exactly like African Blackwood which is actually a rosewood but so dark that it resembles Ebony with a beautiful brown hue. Maybee what they mean is that it looks like Macassar Ebony scaled down in size, African Blackwood is also on the CITES list nowadays because of been a rosewood so that would also be a good reason to pass it for Macassar if they didn't had the right papers. Never the less minor detail and a gorgeous set.

 This is how Macassar ebony is suposed to look:

Here under a Bishop in African Blackwood from a set i have to show you what i mean.

 I just looked at the O.S. site and I'm sorry I did,because they have a huge discount on this set right now......Anyone here a lawyer who can comp me if my wife threatens divorce?-

It surely is worth it if you ask me with that beautiful grain on the dark pieces and antiqued on the light pieces. Very nice reproduction. Whatever type of wood that dark wood is it is much more interesting than a pitch black Ebony wood. And if i am correct such African Blackwood was the wood that originally where used for upper class sets which in those days where wrongly called Ebony wood, most "Ebony" sets from those days are actually African Blackwood which is worth much more. Here a excerpt from the wood database:

"To be considered the original ebony, African Blackwood was imported and used in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Even the name “ebony” has an Egyptian derivation as “hbny”—which has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus. In addition, African Blackwood is technically in the Rosewood genus (Dalbergia), and is more stable and resistant to movement and warping than other types of ebony."

http://www.wood-database.com/african-blackwood/

So a replica of a 1849 using such a wood should get extra points!

I'll tell you one other thing....It's a prized wood in the making of the finest steel string acoustic guitars....Very desirable.

I'm afraid trade in all Dalbergia species has been restricted by CITES, (this is new, trade in Brazilian rosewood has been prohibited for some time), the timber or any object made from it needs CITES documentation from the country of export or re-export (acoustic guitars for example), let alone as timber. Separate and specific documentation for each transaction tends to kill off trade in it.  The massive Chinese demand for rosewood and the level of illegal trade in it has been cited as the cause, but I really don't know how much of a factor that was.  

African blackwood tree will be added to the protected species list of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This means that all trade in the wood, from the tree dalbergia melanoxylon, will be controlled and certified at a cost to the grower and the importer.

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export of species of flora and fauna covered by the Convention has to be authorised through a licensing system. Each country which is party to the Convention (the UK is one) must designate one or more authority to take charge of administering that licensing system and one or more scientific authority to advise them.

The good news for bagpipemakers is that their instruments should be exempted under a finished goods option. Therefore provided they can show that their raw material was sourced from a properly licenced importer they should have no fear of legislation or of surcharges every time they post out a wooden practice chanter. However they may have to alter packaging to show that the wood is African blackwood and also add the initials CAR, meaning carved, indicating that it is a finished product.

I have no idea about bagpipes, but the guidance from the EU does not mention a finished good exemption, it refers to "products containing":

with the exception of the species Dalbergia cochinchinensis (Siamese rosewood) and Dalbergia species originating and exported from Mexico, the provisions of CITES and Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 apply to all products containing Dalbergia wood, or wood of the species Guibourtia demeusei, Guibourtia pellegriniana or Guibourtia tessmannii, except to non-commercial trade of a maximum total weight of 10 kg per shipment. For these purposes, the term "trade" should be interpreted as exports from a producer country and any subsequent re-exports of a product containing Dalbergia wood, or wood of the species Guibourtia demeusei, Guibourtia pellegriniana or Guibourtia tessmannii, as well as imports into the EU.

The US Fisheries and Wildlife has a page addressing musical instruments which suggests that import into the US is more restricted than into the EU, seemingly lacking a personal goods or non commercial trade exemption.  https://www.fws.gov/international/permits/by-activity/musical-instruments.html  this is likely to be similar to the treatment of chess pieces.  

i messaged Carlo he told wood is India Ebony Wood used 

Thanks Santi, I'm now told its Indian Ebony wood

I've been updated  that the gorgeous black pieces are made of Indian Ebony wood.

Hi Mike: How long was the delivery and what's the cost of delivery? How much did you pay for Customs?