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Ancient agates, dzi, coral and amber decorate the throne room of the
Jowo Sakyamuni in Lhasa
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 Tibetan Dzi Beads are thought to bring good luck and protect the wearer from harm. Legend says that they are supernatural, dropped from the heavens, that they are the dung of the Garuda bird, or that they were once creatures that crawled in the ground. They can be crushed for use in Tibetan medicines, they decorate Tibet's most precious statues, and they are passed through families for generations. The earliest date from around 2000 BC.
 Etched Carnelian Beads were first made in the ancient Hrappan civilization in the Indus Valley around 2600 BC. They are therefore the oldest of the "etched" family of beads, predating the Tibetan Dzi.
 We also have ancient natural banded agate beads, Tibetan amber and other interesting beads that we have bought in the marketplace in Lhasa over the years. Any of these beads could anchor a necklace or be attached to a mala. May they bring you good fortune.
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1. Galaxy Dzi Bead. Tibet. A large, unusual one eyed dzi with a rich brown color. In very good condition, we bought this in the Barkhor in Lhasa 10 years ago. 2" (5 cm) long. $500. |
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2. Ancient Chung Dzi Bead. Tibet, 1000 BC to 1000 AD. A beautiful three striped chung dzi showing lots of wear. 1 3/8" (35 mm) long. SOLD. |
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3. Lhasa Beads. Tibet. This is a collection of miscellaneous antique beads that we bought from a lady wearing them in the Barkor in Lhasa. The center bead is a beautiful, ancient natural banded agate; there is a brick carnelian pema raka bead, a fantastic ancient weathered round dzi, black agates, translucent pale agates and a handmade turquoise glass bead. The last bead seems to be bone or shell. All are ancient -- a beautiful set. Longest bead is 1 1/4" (3cm.) All beads together are 8" (20 cm.) $375. |
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4. Honeycomb Etched Carnelian. Indus Valley, 1000 BC to 500 AD. Beautiful "etched" bead -- the design is made with alkali and baked -- with 10 pentangular eyes. At the top of the bead is a dark line that is not a crack. Diameter is 11 mm. $75. |
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5. Amber with Turquoise. Tibet. A lustrous honey color with a beautiful patina. Length is 1 1/4" (32 mm.), height 7/8" (20 mm.) thickness 1/2" (12 mm.) SOLD. |
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6. Large Weathered Coral. Tibet. An unusually large antique coral bead with weathering patterns and inclusions. 1" (25 mm.) diameter, 2/3" (15 mm.) thick. $120. |
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7. Chung Dzi. Tibet, 1000 BC to 1000 AD. A nice little chung dzi, one end dark, the other light, with a stripe in the middle. 1/2" (12 mm.) long $65. |
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8. Etched Carnelian with Eight Eyes. Indus Valley, 1000 BC to 500 AD. A beautiful little eight eyed bead. No cracks or chips despite its age. 11 mm. long $75. |
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9. Lhasa Turquoise and Coral. Tibet. A group of antique beads -- coral with one turquoise and one amber -- that we bought in the Barkhor in Lhasa. Two of the coral beads have turquoise inclusions. Turquoise is 18 mm. long; the smallest coral is 5 mm. in diamter. $175. |
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10. Rare Etched Carnelian Cone. Indus Valley, 1000 BC to 500 AD. A very rare black and red cone shaped carnelian bead etched with a four door design. With a few chips on the bottom but overall in very good condition. The base is 15mm. in diameter, the bead is 12mm. high. $120. |
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11. Etched Carnelian Disk Bead. Indus Valley, 1000 BC to 500 AD. Beautiful color in this bead with an eye and cross design on both sides. Perfect condition, a beautiful bead. 13mm. in diameter, the bead is 5mm. thick. $95. |
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12. Ivory Dragon Bead. China. With a dragon etched on one side, calligraphy on the other and flowers in between. I bought this 20 years ago when I first started collecting beads because I loved the incredible detail. $28. |
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