There are many variations of quality with Isle of Lewis chess set designs. Look for weight and detail as hallmarks of quality. Our Isle of Lewis chess sets are expertly made from crushed stone - they are substantially heavy and very detailed.

The Isle of Lewis chess pieces are probably the best-known set of medieval chess pieces, and these are hand cast, hand-painted replicas of the best preserved specimens. The original Lewis chessmen were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides (off the coast of Scotland) shortly before 1831.

The exact circumstances of the discovery are something of a mystery, most have a peasant stumbling across a burial mound whilst chasing an animal, but there are numerous legends. Eighty two are in the British Museum, and the remaining 11 are in the National Museum of Scotland at Edinburgh. No board was discovered with the pieces, but a contemporary mosaic from Italy indicates that the modern 8 squares by 8 squares board of alternating dark and light colored squares was used, just as today. Each side has its own individual appearance, as each piece is slightly different, representing the hand-carved nature of the originals, but the pieces are still readily identifiable.