Christine Murphy thinks she has a problem.
The 42-year-old grant writer and novelist has more than 150 puzzles in her collection at home in Portland, Maine, approximately 50 of which are hand-cut hardwood. She has one in progress at all times, and works on it every day.
“If I don’t get to do it, I get a bit glum,” she said. “I would happily do nothing but massive, thousand-piece hand-cut puzzles.” But, she added, referring to their price: “My God, those are multiple mortgage payments. It’s like a couture puzzle.”
It’s not news that people enjoy solving things — be they games or true crime mysteries. But Ms. Murphy is part of a growing contingent of passionate puzzlers who love the heightened difficulty and tactile feel of handcrafted wooden puzzles.
“The return of analog is, I believe, the recognition that the simple and well-made can deliver more joy and fulfillment than the more complex and technical,” said Chris Danner, an owner of Elms Puzzles, which makes bespoke pieces.
“In the world of puzzles,” he added, “hand-cut wooden jigsaw puzzles are the most luxury form of that experience.”
And luxury they are. A Stave Puzzles 800-piece limited edition costs $8,495 (on sale from $8,995). Orders from the company, founded in 1974, go up from there. A recent order from a single customer was close to $40,000, said Paula Tardie, an owner of Stave. “We have done wedding favors, puzzles for opening night gifts for Broadway shows and some very large puzzles for family reunions.”
“We have a couple of customers who, in the last decade, have spent over $500,000 with us,” said Mr. Danner of Elms.
Regardless of the style — or cost — Ms. Murphy in Portland sees the value of spending time disconnecting from technology and sitting down with a puzzle. “I really do think they are a panacea for society’s ills,” she said. “The world would be a much better place if everyone took an hour or two every day to chill out with a puzzle.”
‘A Shocking Reveal’
The differences between mass-produced, laser-cut cardboard puzzles and hand-cut hardwood puzzles from companies such as Stave, Elms and Par Puzzles are apparent immediately. Most cardboard puzzles have straight edges, come with a reference image and are lightweight.
Conversely, hand-cut wooden puzzles often have irregular edges, tricks such as straight pieces in the interior, no reference image (to amplify difficulty) and a satisfyingly audible “click” when the pieces fit together. And, most are one of a kind: Even if the same cutter works on identical images, because they are cut by hand, no two puzzles are alike.
The actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas, who lives in Los Angeles, discovered Elms Puzzles in his therapist’s waiting room and was captivated. He found himself going to the office earlier and earlier to try to put them together. “I was really consumed with it,” said Mr. Mantzoukas, 52. “There is a kind of meditative element.”
Then he learned their cost. “It was a shocking reveal,” he said. “I had no idea that puzzles could be that expensive.” (A 1,000-piece Elms puzzle can sell for $3,000.) Instead, he signed up for the company’s rental program, which starts at $72 per month, and has been renting for 15 years.
Such focused activities can be good for our health. “Puzzling can create a kind of structured mindfulness,” said Erica Schwartzberg, a psychotherapist at Downtown Somatic Therapy in New York. “They offer focused attention without overwhelm and a sense of progress that feels soothing and satisfying. From a nervous system perspective, that’s grounding.”
Sold Out in 12 Minutes
Luxury, heirloom-quality puzzles command their prices because of both the materials and the cutters’ skill. Elms uses a scroll saw to slice through five-ply mahogany hardwood that’s just over one-quarter inch thick. “Our artisans use a blade that’s the width of just six or eight human hairs,” Mr. Danner said. “Some customers home in on certain artisans with exceptional talent and then will request them.”
To celebrate the publication of her thriller “Notes on Surviving the Fire,” Ms. Murphy commissioned custom versions of both the American and British book covers from specific Elms cutters. “They knocked it out of the park,” Ms. Murphy said. “They carved out a tiny pair of handcuffs and marijuana leaves.”
And high-dollar puzzles are not limited to just wood. The creators behind the “jigsaw puzzle jewelers” Lazels, whose products run from $2 to $4 per piece, coming to prices like $650 (Gambit 256), $850 (Helen 382) or $1,200 (Galahad 502), cut petite puzzles out of vibrantly hued anodized titanium.
“Our puzzles have been as small as a postage stamp and as large as a cellphone screen,” said the co-founder Peter Clyde, who noted that individual puzzle pieces were 4 to 6 millimeters. Each tiny puzzle comes with tweezers and a display frame.
The brand releases limited runs of new designs during four annual password-protected drops. The $1200 Galahad 502 was its latest, and only 200 were made. “It sold out in 12 minutes,” Mr. Clyde said.
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