My new 3.5" king chess pieces in ebony and boxwood

As some people here know, I was not very happy with my 3.5" ebony and boxwood pieces that I had bought for my beautiful blue-stained Rechapados-Ferrer board with 2" squares.  (The pieces were not from any merchants mentioned below.)  I ended out selling that set, and I replaced it with a much better set that arrived by Fedex today:

This set is also a 3.5" king set, and is a major improvement on the last set.  In fact, I would not hesitate to say that it is now my favourite set.  I absolutely love it!  The set is Staunton Castle's "Championship" series, and they are fantastic in value, perfectly-weighted, and to my eye, gorgeous in every way!

Because I--frankly--suck at taking and editing pictures, I can't really do them justice, but I hope that these images will give the reader some sense of the set.  Please excuse the colouring issues and the clutter in the background!

Much of what follows here will be a matter of subjectivity and preference, but I love the kings, with their slightly-rounded (but not too-rounded!) tops; the queens with their slender stems and pointy crowns; the bishops with their scooped-out mitres (a must-have for me in this price range).  Rooks are rooks, and pawns are usually pawns, but I love these rooks and especially the very tasteful pawns.  The dignified and traditional knights are beautifully and efficiently executed:

I was originally quite nervous about ordering from Staunton Castle because they are not one of the "big vendors" that most people mention frequently, but I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the excellent customer service I received from Mandeep.  Mandeep very promptly and courteously answered a number of questions I had, and helped the transaction to go very smoothly.  This left me feeling both very happy and very satisfied.  

To sum up, what do I like about this set? 

• the simplicity and elegance of the carving in executing the designs
• the weight--each piece is properly weighted.  Even the pawns are heavy (but not too heavy).
• the outstanding value I received for such finely-carved pieces in ebony and boxwood (only about $200 USD)
• free shipping to Canada!  (Actually, the merchant has free worldwide shipping.)
• the very good experience I had with the merchant, Staunton Castle (which was my first-time purchasing from them--and I would not hesitate to order from them in the future)
• the woods--boxwood and ebony.  I do not know which specific wood "ebony" refers to, but the pieces are natively dark.  On the base of the king, where the finish wasn't quite, well, finished, I can see the grains of the dark wood, though I'm not sure if you can see them in the photo below. I find the grains beautiful and reassuring:

I was only able to afford these pieces now, so soon after a few other recent purchases from Cool Chess Canada and House of Staunton because (a) I sold the only set I owned that I did not like, and (b) it's my birthday later this month.  (Ends in a big "0"!)  I am absolutely delighted that without breaking the bank, I was able to afford this set.

(By the way, Chess.com staff, please give us a preview button!  It would make organizing the pictures much easier.)

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Addendum: I just tried the pieces on my favourite board with 2.25" squares--and it works just as nicely on that board as it does on the 2" squares one shown above.  

That's a beautiful set. 

 Thank you, liml!  I really love it.

Very nice set.! At least you didn't get a 4 inch King. The 3.5 inch King is perfect on a 2.25 inch board.

Beautiful set, and lovely combination with the board!

That is a beautiful set. And I agree with other comments I really like that board. Enjoy!

did you pay import tax as they shipping from not the Canada as thy say ( they tell the lie) they ship from India and usual is to make the set declare much lower than paid in valued 

so yes i see nice pieces unethical sold but you wont care over it i guess so long you got your nice cheaper set

That was completely uncalled for.  Who said anything about shipping from Canada?  I specifically noted that they have free shipping *to* Canada.  The tracking number they gave me showed the pieces originating in Amritsar.  And yes, I paid import duties, and they seem to have been exactly what they should have been. Nothing in your comment was true.

I am not sure what the issue with @Nathan0001 is @TemplarsKnights. It is obviously a legal loophole that can be used. Instead of attacking a user here that has added a beautiful set to his collection, why not go complain to the Canadian government or the seller. 

Thanks, Rsava.  I think you and I wrote our comments at the same time. But I don't see anything either illegal or unethical about this transaction, and certainly nothing to complain to the Canadian government about.  His comment was just extremely strange and surprising.

Mr. Mandeep Singh Saggu is one of the best wood carvers of chess pieces in the world. His works speak for themselves and this is one that fits his credentials. Congratulations on your new set and board. I have my eye on a few sets of Antiqued reproductions from Staunton castle myself which I will select from this year. 

May your chess be as beautiful as your set

Thank you, 9kick9!  I think the set works equally well on both boards.  On the 2" squares board, I can fit two pawns diagonally inside a square.  On my 2.16" squares board, I can fit four pawns to a square.  Maybe I'll post a picture later of this set on my nice moulded edge walnut and maple RF board (veneer, of course, as I don't own any solid boards).  I have a feeling that the pieces would still look good on a 2.25" squares board, although I don't know.

Thank you Bonthecat and Ekrabin!

I am sure that whichever set you choose from him will be a good one!

Thank you very much--and what a wonderful sentiment.  Unfortunately, my chess is very, very ugly indeed!  Maybe these pieces will inspire me to study harder.

That's a beautiful set. The slenderness combined with the wide bases is very stylish, and I particularly like the wide miters on the Bishops. Enjoy!

I agree, this is a very nice set.  Darn you, though.  Now I need to go to their website to look at their offerings and I'll probably buy something

Extremely nice looking set! Looks to hit way above it's price class too.Fabulous job,my man!!-

Thank you, Eyechess!  Have fun looking--and please consider posting photos of whatever beautful set you decide to buy!