Benefactor Motif, 37.0×12.0mm, pitch-black & peach-beige agate (N-070526-BenBS)

Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed without digital retouching: what you see is exactly what you receive.

The benefactor form on this bead is upright on one face and inverted on the face directly opposite, so the same motif reads as reaching upward from one angle and descending from the other, as though two figures share the surface back to back.

This is a newly crafted Taiwan dzi, made from natural agate using the traditional dzi crafting technique, with a benefactor motif, one of the most visually dynamic of all dzi forms, its central eye and sweeping hooked arms transforming at every quarter-turn. The bead has three colour zones: a pitch-black ground in the etched areas, cream-white motif lines defining the eye and arms, and broad warm peach-beige banding around the middle that gives this piece an unusually warm, organic character. Black, cream, and peach-tan together give the motif a rounded, almost illustrated quality across the four faces.

At 37.0×12.0mm, this is a compact, well-proportioned barrel. One end cap shows glossy grey-green agate, the other a warm peach-beige surface with a small centred drill hole. A fine, shallow surface scratch is present in the cream zone, visible in the macro photograph; it does not affect the integrity of the bead.

The macro photograph shows the bloodspots clearly: warm reddish-brown natural cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā) scattered through the cream and peach-beige zones, where the lighter ground makes them most visible. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

The Benefactor Motif

The benefactor dzi represents the presence of a protecting patron or guide: someone who opens paths that would otherwise stay closed and brings resources, opportunity, and support at critical moments. The central eye represents clear seeing, the ability to perceive what is truly needed, while the curving hooked arms are the benefactor's hands reaching down to lift others. In Tibetan tradition, wearing a benefactor dzi is believed to attract the right people and circumstances at the right moment, dissolving obstacles through connection rather than force. Read more in Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations.

Specifications

• Motif: Benefactor
• Length: 37.0mm
• Diameter: 12.0mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate
• Age: New, crafted within the last 20 years
• Condition: Good; fine surface scratch in the cream zone, disclosed; no cracks visible
• Bloodspots: Prominent; reddish-brown natural cinnabar scattered through the cream zones
• Product ID: N-070526-BenBS
• Collections: New & Vintage Dzi | Taiwan Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

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• Vintage Benefactor Dzi with Bloodspots, pitch-black
• Vintage Benefactor Dzi with Bloodspots

From the blog

• Bloodspots in Dzi Beads
• How to Choose a Dzi Bead

This bead is offered as found: photographed honestly, described completely.

All photos are unretouched. Natural lighting. No filters applied.