I've examined the pieces and each were well made and beatifully painted. I especially liked the fact that each type of figure in each army are unique in design. This makes it much easier to determine which pieces are "black" or" white" when playing the game. Some theme-type chess sets have pieces that are difficult to identify once they are moved from their initial position. I couldn't be more pleased with this chess set. Since I just got it, I can't say how durable the paint is (that is, susceptible to wear or chipping), but the pieces and the painting appear to be solid and good quality.