On the glamorous island of Palm Beach, I’ve heard the unmistakable clank of 144 tiles echoing inside a women’s boutique lined with paisley-printed dresses. In Miami’s trendy Edgewater neighborhood, I saw rolling dice ricochet against a wall of tiles inside an artisanal cheese shop. And recently, I walked into my Delray Beach, Florida, townhome association’s weekly meetup to find a crowd of spirited women—mothers, daughters, and grandmothers—yelling “Pung!” and “Mah-jongg!” Which got me thinking about the powerful pull of this mid-nineteenth-century Chinese game that has brought together so many people across surprising settings.
In Southern cities and small towns, players of all ages and backgrounds have flocked to the traditional tile game that is both a social ritual and a style statement. American mah-jongg sets differ slightly from the traditional Chinese versions: There are 152 tiles in the American style, eight more than in Chinese mah-jongg; and American mah-jongg incorporates an annual card from the National Mah-Jongg League that is required to build hands. The sets have become conversation pieces themselves, quiet declarations of taste and treasures passed down in families. We’ve searched from the Gulf Coast to the Blue Ridge to bring you some of the most beautiful sets in the country.
For the ultimate heirloom set, turn to none other than the granddaughter to cosmetics giants Estée and Joseph Lauder. Aerin Lauder, whose style has become synonymous with Palm Beach glam, presents the Shagreen Mahjong Set, with a beautiful, embossed box that protects the delicately engraved tiles.
What happens when you combine the creativity of a Georgia-based interior designer with an artist known for her love of the natural world? A mah-jongg set that is almost too beautiful to play with. Almost. The collaboration between designer Maura Respess and artist Kre Ward includes a matching game mat with beautifully saturated colors and symbolic images of swans and lotuses.
This South Carolina–based brand carries five tile sets, each in a theme that any Southerner can appreciate. We especially love the Hunt Club edition, with its dainty designs of horses, fish, cattails, and wildflowers.
The North Carolina artist Kimberly Roberts infuses both her artwork and her values into her mah-jongg sets. A portion of every sale supports animal charities, and she has created tiles themed around rescue dogs and cats, as well as scenes inspired by her love of Southern shorelines.
For contemporary American-style players, The Mahjong Line tiles have become icons in the field. Using a maximalist approach to color and style, the Dallas brand has gained a legion of fans since it launched three sets in 2020. Six years later, there are now ten sets in multiple colorways and patterns that are decidedly Americana in feel, with odes to ranch life, the mountains, and the sea.
Founder Megan Trottier’s love of mah-jongg began when she was a student at Texas Tech, and she quickly became hooked on the game that combined strategy with socializing. Trottier collaborated with graphic designer Anna Nguyen to create tiles with Southern vibes, and the nearly two dozen sets that resulted range from bright pastels to deep, masculine shades of blue and forest green.
When The Southern Sparrow founder Jessica Roe watched 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians and the tension-filled mah-jongg scene between main character Rachel and her boyfriend’s mother, Roe knew she had to learn the game. These days, Roe is teaching tens of thousands of new players through her popular “Mahj 101” videos. The Dallas resident also creates tiles, and her collections include the Chinoiserie Mahjong Set, an ode to traditional Chinese artistry in three different colorways, and the Country Club Set, a playful take that mixes in a golf theme.
Nila Do Simon is a lifestyle and culture writer based in South Florida. All in the name of journalism, she has kicked soccer balls with players from the USMNT, attempted to sing along with Tony Award winners, tried cooking alongside James Beard Award recipients, and taught magazine writing at the University of Florida. The runt in her family, she’s developed an interest in highlighting the voices of often-overlooked, marginalized individuals and groups who, like her, required an extra-loud microphone to be heard over the crowd.
