The creative workshop team at Aurum dedicates part of their time undertaking innovative projects, and the idea of a unique chess set had been in mind for many years.

The game of chess is believed to have originated in the 7th Century and has been widely represented in art and literature because of its intellectual depth and roots within many civilizations. The varied interpretations of chess set pieces throughout history are testament to chess’s consistent challenge and inspiration to both artist and artisan.

The limited edition chess set has finally come to fruition in order to celebrate and commemorate Aurum’s 40th birthday. The ‘Bailiwick’ chess set depicts the friendly rivalry between Jersey and Guernsey, and also reflects direct customer input as to which Channel Island characters would create the most interesting and practical chess pieces.

After the design and wax carving stage each cast sterling silver model must be hand finished and polished. The board is made of 32 squares of Jersey Mont Mado granite and 32 squares of ‘blue’ Guernsey granite cut and polished by a local firm and each box is handmade by a local craftsman.