OK, now I don't feel so badly. I can't find the $24,000 pieces now. I swear I saw them. They only have pieces for $12,995 now. They must have seen my post and removed the expensive ones. See link below.
The Mammoth Ivory is excavated from the permafrost of the Siberian tundra, which the wooly mammoth inhabited for more than 160,000 years. During the last ice age, the mammoth went extinct as the direct result of rapidly plummeting temperatures that literally flash froze the entire population of Mammuthus primigenius. The dry, cold environment of Siberia combined with the massive sheets of ice from the ice age created the ideal environment for the preservation of Mammoth Ivory. The wooly Mammoth have been entombed under the Siberian permafrost ever since, waiting to be unearthed.
http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-mammoth-ivory-collector-series-luxury-chess-pieces-4-4-king.html
There is an HOS set (doesn't include a board) for $24,000. Gorgeous. Unfortunately, the pieces are ebony and ivory. Would never purchase due to the ivory.
So $23 is my most expensive...but I don't feel terrible about myself.
HoS uses mammoth ivory. Nothing wrong about that?
I haven't seen the set you're talking about.
You're contributing towards the exploitation of poor mammoths. They may be extinct one day. For shame!
You're right, I feel terrible now!
Also, last thing I heard they live in terrible, inhumane conditions. Basically left to fend for themselves on the desolate, frozen tundra of Sibirinovsk, desperately foraging for icy edibles few and far between. Why animal rights associations haven't taken action yet is just beyond me.