On display at the Fellissimo Design House in midtown Manhattan are two of the world's three Japanese-lacquered chess sets, produced by Japanese artisans based on a concept by Alexander Gelman, a contemporary New York designer.

Gelman, 42, partnered with artisans in Yamanaka, a small Ishikawa Prefecture town known for its traditional craftsmanship.

"I wanted to bring them a little bit closer to my world," Gelman told Kyodo News of introducing the concept of lacquered chess sets to local Japanese artisans "to get them to work with an object that is a little more familiar to me and completely unfamiliar to them...it was true collaboration."

Each chess set on display consists of a black lacquered table with silver squares and a full set of chess pieces representing a combination of styles.

Among the chess pieces, four different kinds of Japanese craftsmanship are showcased: fuki-urushi, or wood lacquering; makie, or gold lacquering; platinum lacquering through haku or leaves; and kutani, which is hand-decorated ceramic pieces with intricate textures and patterns.

Depending on the combination of chess pieces and chessboard/table, one set runs from $80,000 to $123,600.

Gelman, who worked on the project for over a year, anticipates that the intricacy of Japanese craftsmanship will be well-met by chess and lacquer-ware enthusiasts alike.

"I want them to get as excited as I am," said Gelman of his fellow New Yorkers.

"New York is probably the fastest city, where time is really precious," Gelman said. "But just seeing these (pieces), and thinking about somebody taking the time to make them 100 percent and not trying to find a 'faster' way...it's a good thing for New Yorkers to think about, an alternative way to look at life."

Before New York, the chess sets previewed at a solo exhibition in Tokyo in January. The exhibit at Fellissimo, which will run until Dec. 24, marks the pieces' North American debut.

After New York, Gelman will take his chess sets, including the remaining one of the three sets, to Milan for the next exhibit.