A large Western Asiatic ancient Sardonyx bead with a natural eye formation. 47.45 mm x 30.07 mm x 26.12 mm (depth).

A 'new' dZi bead with one eye. Sourced in North India. The perforation has also been slightly worked to give the appearance of old wear. 31 mm x 15.5 mm

 

A Tibetan woman (1930s) wears a necklace comprised of ancient dZi, banded agates (also known as Bhaisajyaguru dZi), coral and a large amulet or gau box. Gaus with the 'two intersecting squares' design were apparently very fashionable in Lhasa from "at least the middle of the 19th century". According to John Clarke (Victoria and Albert Museum Curator) this symbolises two crossed dorjes or a double vajra. They can often be made from silver or gold and can be inlaid with a variety of semi-precious stones, more commonly with coral and turquoise. These days similar gaus may even contain precious stones like rubies and diamonds and display a chosen deity on the front. The gau might contain a wealth of sacred items that have been blessed by revered Lamas. They might also contain relics, mantras, a small statue or Tsa Tsa and are regarded as one of the most important family heirloom pieces.

A lovely tabular agate eye bead from Great Britain. It was aquired from the famous Keith Mitchell gem collection, and is believed to be from the Georgian era (1714 to 1830). Agate eye beads and pendants were once popular in the UK, probably reaching their peak in jewellery use during the Victorian period. An agate brooch (commonly set with a 'bulls eye' agate) were particularly favoured in Victorian times. 38 mm x 27 mm x 12 mm.

A matched pair of ancient Tasso dZi beads.  

largest 29.35 mm x 13.40 mm Smallest 28.09 mm x 13.10 mm

A large matched pair of ancient Tasso dZi beads flank an ancient Tiger dZi.  

Tasso dZi approx 30 mm x 13 mm Tiger dZi 18.12 mm x 14.91 mm

Various ancient stone beads. All sourced in Nepal.

Ancient carnelian beads. Sourced in Nepal.

Ancient blue chalcedony beads.

Ancient banded agate or Bhaisajyaguru bead. Sourced in Nepal. 16.51 mm

Ancient jasper eye amulet (Western Asia).

Two banded agate tabular eye beads from the 1990s. Both beads came out of Asia but the agate reminds me of material from Botswana, Africa. length 30 mm width 24 mm depth 11 mm

A new bow shaped dZi which was found in Mandi, North India (2007). Both the shape and stylised eyes are not often seen on new beads. 38 mm x 13 mm

A huge silver amulet with antique coral, amber, silver, and ancient agates.

Reinhold Messner is seen here wearing a two eyed dZi bead flanked with red coral. This is the typical way a man would wear a dZi bead in the Himalayan regions. Messner says he obtained his bead in Tingri in 1981 and it always fascinates the Sherpas and Tibetans when they see him wearing it. He is regarded by some as the greatest mountain climber of all time. In the 1970s he was the first to reach the summit of Everest without bottled oxygen. Following that he was the first to achieve a solo Everest climb. In 2004 he completed a 2000 kilometer expedition through the Gobi desert. The list goes on!

A stunning ancient bicone jasper disc bead. 46.77 mm (diameter) x 14.62 (depth). It always amazes me how jasper is often overlooked in favour of banded agate beads. Jasper is an opaque form of chalcedony and the name is likely to have originated from the Persian word "yašp". Jasper is certainly amongst the most colourful materials used in antiquity. According to the second book of the Hebrew bible (Exodus), it was also used in the breastplate of Jewish high priests. This bead was supposedly found in the Western Sahara desert and was possibly a spindle whorl.

A newly created bow shaped agate bead. Sourced in Nepal 37.59 mm x 15 mm

A newly created bow shaped agate bead. They are also
known as leech, wedge or 'cattle horn' beads.

Sourced in Nepal.
35 mm x 15 mm

Ancient agate bead 30 mm x 28 mm

Ancient agate bead 30 mm x 28 mm

Garuda or Khyung Thokcha 29 mm x 27 mm

A lotus seed mala turned dark from years of use, with an old turquoise guru bead.

A very large ancient Chong dZi with a nicely contrasted single stripe or equatorial zone. Displays genuine medicinal digs. The end shavings allow one to see the original colour of the stone before it received colour enhancement. 58 mm x 18 mm

Imitation banded agate beads made from plastic. 

Sourced in Nepal. approx 12 mm x 10 mm

A pair of ancient two eyed dZi beads.

Above: Togden Shakya Shri (1853-1919). A master of Mahamudra and Dzogchen

The great Tibetan Yogi and luminary of the 19th century Rime movement, Ju Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912), was very close to the renowned Dzogchen master, Togden Shakya Shri. When he heard that Shaya Shri was sick he sent him a letter with the following items and tells him:

" As an offering for your protection I have sent you pills made with the substances of a red cow and three round Zi gems. With best wishes for your good health and the hope to meet you in the future."

Elio Guarisco, the translator of this Namthar mentions in his notes the following:

"Zi (gzi) gem: a patterned stone unique to Tibet, similar to a carnelian. According to some, the gem was used in Shang Shung (zhang zhung) kingdom as money. Its divine origin is one of the many legends surrounding this expensive stone."

Togden Shakya Shri ~ The Life and Liberation of a Tibetan Yogin by Kathog Situ Chokyi Gyatso (translated from the Tibetan by Elio Guarisco).

Newly created oval Tiger dZi and oval Lotus dZi. Sourced in Nepal. Largest 22 mm x 20 mm Smallest 20 mm x 17 mm.

Ancient banded agate bead. 33 mm x 15 mm

Khampa Tibetan Costume at Litang, originally uploaded by kayforest.

Tibetan Calligraphy Copyright© 2010 Tashi Mannox

Above we can see a wonderful calligraphy by the very talented Tashi Mannox. You can also view his blog here. This piece was used in my recent dZi bead article for Sacred Hoop Magazine. In this piece we can see the word dZi (shown in the Horyig seal script in red). This word is also cleverly incorporated into the design of the black and white dZi bead. The white text at the base of the piece translates as 'Blaze with Majestic Brilliance'.

We all know that Tibetans highly value dZi beads as amulets. They are seen as a safe guard against illness and misfortune and they are even believed to protect the wearer from harmful spirits. In Tibetan society, heirloom beads are often worn during festivals and special occasions. This is seen as an opportunity to showcase prized beads that may have been in a family for many generations. The Tibetan word for confidence is ziji, which is made up of zi meaning shine and ji meaning splendour, radiance or dignity. I personally feel that when we connect the word ziji to dZi beads, it reflects the underlying attitude and intent of the Tibetans who wear them. As the Tibetan Buddhist master, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche says: “A person with ziji has dignity, the radiant power of a mind that has relaxed into its own inherent strength”.

Ancient Banded Agate and Chalcedony beads. The large focal bead measures 30 mm x 22 mm.

 

A large Ancient Tasso dZi or an ancient dZi with a zig zag stripe.. This bead displays a rarely seen decorated 'white' stripe on an opaque darkened agate base. The greyish colour of the lines probably indicates fire damage. Sourced in Nepal. approx 29 mm x 12 mm

Ancient Chung dZi. Sourced in Nepal. 31 mm x 11 mm

A very beautiful antique turquoise bead. Sourced in Nepal. 40 mm x 34 mm

                                                                   

A rare ancient green jasper bead from Nepal. 30 mm x 26 mm