Global Crafts

Hand Carved Soapstone Maasai Chess Set - 14" Board - SMOlart

Name: Hand Carved Soapstone Maasai Chess Set - 14" Board - SMOlart
Brand: Global Crafts
SKU: KSH0014_602025
Price: 99.0 USD
Availability: InStock

$99.00 USD

~~$129.00 USD~~ $99.00 USD

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Crafted by African artisans in Western Kenya using traditional techniques, this soapstone chess set will become a conversation piece during play or on display! The board approximately 14 - 15 inches square inlaid with pink and white soapstone. Each piece is hand carved in either pink or white soapstone. Due to the natural characteristics of soapstone, the colors will vary. The game pieces are approximately 2.25 to 3.5 inches tall.

Product Features:

The board measures approximately 14 - 15 inches square and .25-inch high.
A natural stone, color variations are to be expected and enjoyed for the one-of-a-kind beauty.
Due to the handmade nature of this item, each is unique and will vary slightly.
Soapstone is a soft stone, making it easy to carve into many forms. Handle with care to avoid breakage.
Each piece has gone through multiple stages of sanding and waxing, giving the soapstone a satiny finish.
Socially responsible products that empower consumers to purchase according to their values and help alleviate global poverty.
Fair Trade is an alternative business model that values safe workplaces, fair wages, and community investment for factory employees.

Story Behind the Art:

Each sculpture is artfully hand-carved from a single piece of Kisii soapstone, found only in the hills of southwestern Kenya. Mining the soapstone from surface hills is a labor-intensive process, using little to no machinery. Laborers work with shovels, picks, axes, and machetes to carve out large soapstone chucks, which are then carved into beautiful art.

About the Artisans

Our Soapstone is carved by the artists of SMOLArt a group of artists who live in the rural village of Tabaka, Kenya, the heart of Kenya's soapstone carving region. The name, a shortened version of Small, Medium, and Large Artists, refers to the size of the soapstone products the artisans make, not their stature. Established in 1990, SMOLArt is a member of the WFTO, and as such assures that the artisans are paid a fair price for their work. In addition, the organization support community development by contributing to projects that improve living conditions, education, and health of their members and the village at large.

Soapstone is mined from great pits in the area surrounding Kiisi, Kenya. The mined soapstone is then delivered to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone for the wholesale market, the color of which ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges of the soapstone with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched accents.