A PRICEY OBSESSION

DEVOTED HOBBYISTS ARE WILLING TO SHELL OUT BIG BUCKS FOR COUTURE PUZZLES

- STORY: JENNIFER BRADLEY FRANKLIN / NYT

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 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 analogue 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 US$8,495 (276,000 baht). 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 favours, puzzles for opening night gifts for Broadway shows and some very large puzzles for family reunions."