American Mahjong Royalty

Crisloid

Tile makers since 1948

Providence, Rhode Island

The house that has been watching over the craft since 1948.

Crisloid has been making games by hand in America since 1948. It began in 1940s Brooklyn as A and L Manufacturing, run by Alphonse and Lucky Lodato, and in 1970 a Rhode Islander named Chris Ruizzo bought the company and carried it to Providence, where it still works on Porter Street, making backgammon, cribbage, dominoes and, of course, mahjong tiles.

Its full sets are still hand painted, one tile at a time, and its lineage runs through Catalin, the Bakelite family resin that ages to butterscotch. Collectors seek out the old Crisloid Catalin sets for exactly that reason. Prim's point was provenance: a thing made by hand, in a workshop that intends to still be there when your granddaughter opens the case.

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The Makers

More of the royalty

Mahjong Row & Co.For those who believe a tile set should be felt before it is seen. Bespoke MahjongA garden party made portable, and jokers dressed as talismans. The Mahjong LineWhat they have done with color is design thinking.

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