Checkmate: The Let’s Play Chess Mini Collection By NeverNoT

By Brittany Siminitz | April 04, 2022

I first noticed a checkerboard pattern at, of all places, a children’s clothing store based in Australia. Kids really do get all the good stuff, so it makes sense that grown-ups might follow suit. Mind you, this was in 2021.

I became fixated on this one little knit set for my daughter, talking myself out of it for, like, an entire year, but never forgetting it (it just arrived the other day).

Checkerboard was everywhere last year, but we were still, whether we liked it or not, neck-deep in the pandemic.

I don’t know the definition of where we are now or if the virus is done with us yet (probably not). But I do know that people are starting to get out again, and checkerboard deserves to be seen.

NeverNoT chess green pendant — *Mini Chess pendant in 14k yellow gold with green topaz and enamel, $1,133*

Luckily, these new additions from the lovely NeverNoT have us covered.

The Let’s Play Chess collection, already an existing line from the U.K. jeweler, got a mini update this month with these wonderfully fun pieces, and I don’t know about you, but I’m positively smitten.

NeverNoT mini chess ring — *Mini Chess ring in 14k yellow gold with pink topaz and enamel, $1,288*

“The collection was inspired by a chess game—the competitive sport aspect and its pure science component. Chess is also an art,” says Nina Dzhokhadze, cofounder of NeverNoT. A chessboard in black and white was the inspiration (NeverNoT’s most favorite black-and-white color contrast, used in many pieces, was the focal point of the collection), designed in two sizes: regular and mini.

NeverNoT mini chess blue topaz pendant — *Mini Chess pendant in 14k yellow gold with blue topaz and enamel, $1,133*

The mini pieces, which cover a lower price point and comprise this latest release, include rings and pendants, with pink, blue, or green topaz center stones framed in enamel checkerboard, in classic black and white or a rainbowlike version.

Queen’s Gambit fan or not, the line is spot-on for trends: With its enamel decoration and very wearable (and pairable) size, it’s a winner across the (chess)board.

Top: NeverNoT‘s release of mini Chess pendants in 14k yellow gold with topaz and enamel, $1,133 each