Eight Eye Motif Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 41.8×11.9mm, Two-Tone Agate (V-092924-8EBS)

Every piece hand-inspected and accurately described. All photos below are unretouched, taken against a plain white background to show this bead's true colour and condition.

Four eyes per face, eight in total, and the warm peachy-apricot at both ends is what you see first, before the ground deepens to a very deep dark brown through the centre where the eyes sit.

This is a vintage Taiwan dzi, crafted in the 1980s from high-quality natural agate using the traditional dzi crafting technique. The two-zone ground shows clearly in flat-lit photography: the drilled end caps carry a distinctly warm peachy-apricot tone, lighter and warmer than the honey-brown or cream ends of other beads from this era, moving to very deep dark brown through the body. The eight eyes are arranged four per face, in two rows of two, each framed by a cream-white ring. A cream horizontal stripe runs across the centre of each face between the rows, and cream end bars bracket both faces, a complete, symmetrical composition.

The eye rings vary slightly in sharpness and warmth, reflecting the handcrafted character of the bead. The surface shows over four decades of age: the original gloss has softened, especially on the dark ground, and there are minor surface marks around the middle consistent with vintage wear, disclosed here as found. No cracks are visible in any photo. The drill channel is clean at both ends.

Bloodspots

The macro photograph shows natural cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā) inclusions clearly within an eye ring: warm orange-rust colouring through the cream ring, a concentrated brownish-orange warmth in the pupil area, and scattered orange-rust micro-dots across the cream around it. The inclusions sit beneath the surface, giving the cream ring a suffused warmth that is hard to see at normal distance but striking under magnification. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

The Eight Eye Motif

The Eight Eye motif is among the most sought-after dzi designs in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, associated with success and achievement in all areas of life. Eight is a significant number in both Tibetan Buddhist cosmology and Chinese numerology, linked to abundance and favourable conditions. A bead carrying eight eyes is traditionally believed to help its wearer overcome obstacles and progress in whatever they pursue. Read more in The Eight Eye Dzi Bead: Symbolism and Significance.

Specifications

• Motif: Eight Eye
• Length: 41.8mm
• Diameter: 11.9mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate
• Age estimate: Vintage, crafted in Taiwan in the 1980s using the traditional technique
• Condition: Good; minor surface marks around the middle consistent with vintage age; no cracks visible
• Bloodspots: Prominent; natural cinnabar concentrated in the eye rings, with scattered micro-dots through the cream field
• Product ID: V-092924-8EBS
• Collections: Taiwan Dzi | New & Vintage Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

Companion vintage bloodspot dzi

• Vintage Six Eye Dzi with Bloodspots
• Vintage Double Longevity Dzi with Bloodspots
• Vintage Double Longevity Dzi with Bloodspots (II)
• Vintage Double Longevity Dzi with Bloodspots (III)

From the blog

• Taiwan Dzi Beads: The Vintage 1980s Guide
• The Eight Eye Dzi Bead: Symbolism and Significance

A vintage Eight Eye with a two-tone ground, warm peachy-apricot at both ends and very deep dark brown through the centre, with natural cinnabar concentrated in the eye rings.

All photos are unretouched. White-background shots show true colour; the macro shot shows the bloodspots at close range.