The Only Baltic Amber Manufactory in the USA. Handcrafted in Brooklyn, New York.
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Flat $6.95 on U.S. orders under $100. Ships from our Brooklyn, NY workshop — worldwide delivery available.
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Questions? Email elena@kizima.us or call (347) 272-2838 — we reply within 24 hours.
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Exchange or return items free of charge within 30 days.
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From the Amber Journal
Amber Backgammon: An Ancient Game in Fossilized Stone
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games still played today, with roots tracing back thousands of years to the ancient Near East. At KIZIMA®, we make backgammon pieces and boards from genuine Baltic amber — a material that is, in its own way, even older than the game itself. Each piece began forming in ancient forests millions of years ago, long before anyone rolled a die. A Game Older Than Most Civilizations Versions of backgammon-style games have been found in archaeological digs across Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Roman world. The combination of strategy and chance has kept it popular across cultures and centuries, evolving into the checkered board and doubling cube familiar today. Pairing that history with amber, itself formed over 30 to 40 million years ago, brings together two very different kinds of age in a single object. Why Amber Suits a Game Board Baltic amber has a warmth of color and a natural translucency that makes each checker piece slightly different from the next. No two pieces of amber are identical, so a set made from it carries small variations in tone and clarity — something a mass-produced acrylic or bakelite set cannot offer. It also has a pleasant weight and a smooth, cool-to-the-touch surface that many players notice the first time they pick up a piece. Handmade in Brooklyn Every KIZIMA® backgammon and checkers piece is cut, shaped, and polished by hand in our Brooklyn workshop. As the only Baltic amber manufacturer in America, we work directly with raw amber rather than pre-made components, which means we can select stones for color and clarity piece by piece. The result is a set that plays like any other backgammon set, but looks and feels distinctly different on the table. A Gift With Some Weight to It Amber backgammon pieces make a natural gift for collectors, for anyone who already owns a backgammon board, or for someone who appreciates objects with a bit of history behind them. They pair well with a wooden or bamboo board and hold up to regular play far better than many people expect from a natural material. You can see our current backgammon and checkers pieces, along with the rest of the collection, at kizima.us.
Learn moreQuality Control: How Every KIZIMA® Piece Is Checked Before It Ships
Every piece that leaves our Brooklyn workshop passes through more hands than most people expect. Before a KIZIMA® pendant, choker, or chess piece is ever packed for shipping, it goes through a quiet, unglamorous stage that rarely gets talked about: quality control. It's not the part of the process that photographs well, but it's the part that decides whether a piece is ready to carry the KIZIMA® name. Checking the stone before the piece is even finished Quality control at KIZIMA® doesn't start at the end of the line — it starts with the raw amber itself. Each stone is inspected for clarity, color, and structural soundness before it's cut or set. A piece with hidden fractures or weak spots is set aside long before it becomes jewelry, because no amount of polishing later can fix a flaw that was there from the start. What we look for once a piece is assembled Once a pendant, choker, or game piece is fully assembled, it's examined again — this time for the details that matter to the person who will actually wear or use it. We check that the amber sits securely in its setting, that clasps and closures move the way they should, and that the surface has been polished evenly, without dull spots or leftover tool marks. Symmetry matters too, especially on paired pieces like earrings or matched sets such as chess or backgammon pieces, where even a slight mismatch stands out. A second, independent look No piece is approved by the same hands that made it. A second person on our small team reviews each finished item separately, checking it against the same standards with fresh eyes. It's a simple step, but it's often how a minor imperfection gets caught before a piece ever reaches a customer. Why this step earns its place Baltic amber is tens of millions of years old, and it deserves a finishing process that respects that. Quality control is slower than simply boxing up whatever comes off the workbench, but it's what allows KIZIMA® to stand behind every piece as genuine Baltic amber, made entirely in the USA. It's a small, steady part of what "Made in USA" means to us in practice. You can see the finished results of this process across our current collection at kizima.us.
Learn moreThe Heart Pendant: The Story Behind a KIZIMA® Bestseller
A look at the Heart Pendant, one of KIZIMA®'s most requested pieces — why the design endures and what goes into each one.
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