This lovely set includes refurbished Go Stones and Go Bowls.
The stones are size 32 slate & 31 shell. They have been cleaned per our Care Instructions. For the shell stones, this meant a week-long soak in h2o2 and a rinse with distilled water.
The 180 clamshells are Suwabute stones, Japanese clams that are not graded like Mexican clams. They have lines much more dense than Mexican clams because they grow far slower. They are no longer harvested due to depletion. The lightbox struggled to illuminate them because of their density, so I used a phone flashlight as well, where you can see they look orange where a Mexican clam will look yellow. They measure 8.5-8.7mm and have a slightly cream-white patina. Some have orange speckles on the underside, others have the famed "purple heart" lines.
The 181 slate stones are slightly thicker at 8.8-9.3mm, and have been washed with distilled water and buffed with mineral oil.
It's preferred to have the black stones slightly larger than the white - if they are the same size, the bright white pieces will appear larger when side by side with the black.
The bowls are chestnut with a pleasing orange/brown color. They catch the light very well. They have been scrubbed of their original finish and treated with Monkey Wax. At XXL size, they fit the stones comfortably with plenty of room to spare.
This is one of our Vintage products.
Because I am not a vendor of original products, and these came to Baduk Club second-hand, I cannot be certain that these are indeed Suwabute stones. I'm pretty sure they are, though, based on the color they are certainly not Mexican clamshell (their grade would probably a good step above Flower-grade, because there is no orange speckling on the backs). If you want original guaranteed Hyuga Suwabute stones, please visit Mr. Kuroki's website or HyugaGoBoardStone, where you can find them in the $1500-$4000 range.
Shipping Details:
This item ships from Colorado, USA via USPS or UPS. Allow 3 business days for handling, and you will receive a notification with the tracking details.