Ancient Fifteen Eye Lotus Carnelian Dzi, 22.1×21.3mm, spherical, warm brown-terracotta, 1,000–2,000 yrs (Ac-122924-15EL)

We never retouch our photos. What you see is exactly what you will receive.

The fifteen eyes on this bead do not sit in rows or follow a grid. They are woven into a continuous lotus network that covers the entire sphere, with no face that reads as front or back.

This bead is estimated at 1,000–2,000 years old, older than most of the collection. At 22.1mm × 21.3mm it is nearly perfectly round, a sphere rather than a barrel. The Ancient Carnelian Four Eye Heaven's Gate Dzi shares its spherical form and carnelian, but carries four eyes in a clean geometric arrangement. This bead carries fifteen, distributed across the full surface in an organic lotus-connected network: four eyes arranged; fifteen eyes grown.

The motif reads as a living surface rather than a designed one. Each eye ring is a small oval or circle linked to its neighbours by curving, stem-like lotus lines, forming a continuous lattice across the sphere. From any angle four to six rings are visible, the rest curving out of sight. The bead must be turned slowly to count all fifteen; no single position shows the complete motif.

The motif lines are warm sandy-cream to light grey-cream, deeply weathered, with rough and irregular edges in all five photographs. This is etching that has spent a very long time becoming part of the stone. The carnelian ground is a warm medium brown-terracotta with a matte-satin surface, the soft warmth of a surface handled for centuries. The drill hole (Image 6) is wide and irregular, with chipping around its entry consistent with ancient hand-drilling.

The Fifteen Eye Lotus (十五眼蓮花) Motif

The Fifteen Eye Lotus dzi is among the rarest and most symbolically complex designs in the Tibetan dzi tradition. The fifteen eyes are understood to represent the Seven Treasures (七寶) and the Eight Dharmas (八法) combined, material and spiritual completeness. The lotus that connects the eyes is itself a symbol of enlightenment rising from ordinary existence, purity emerging from the earth. The motif is believed to help the wearer achieve their wishes through clear vision and right decisions: a bead understood not only as protective but as wisdom-giving. Read more in Carnelian Dzi Beads: The Pema Raka Guide.

Specifications

• Motif: Fifteen Eye Lotus (十五眼蓮花); fifteen eye rings connected by curving lotus lines across the whole sphere
• Length: 22.1mm
• Diameter: 21.3mm
• Form: Near-perfect sphere
• Material: Natural carnelian; warm medium brown-terracotta matte-satin ground; heavily weathered sandy-cream to grey-cream motif lines
• Age estimate: Ancient, 1,000–2,000 years
• Condition: Motif lines heavily weathered, consistent with age; rough irregular drill hole from hand-drilling; surface micro-pitting; no structural cracks
• Bloodspots: None visible
• Product ID: Ac-122924-15EL
• Collections: Original Ancient Dzi | Carnelian Dzi (Pema Raka) | Round Beads

Related High Eye Count Dzi

Ancient

• Ancient Twelve Eye Lotus Dzi, pitch-black agate, calcification
• Ancient Twelve Eye Dzi, chocolate-brown agate
• Ancient Round Eight Eye Lotus Dzi, white agate
• Ancient Eight Eye Dzi, warm grey-brown agate
• Ancient Nine Eye Dzi, cream-white agate
• Ancient Nine Eye Dzi, dark brown agate

Antique

• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, 60.6mm
• Antique Eight Eye Dzi, 53.4mm
• Antique Round Six Eye Lotus and Cross Dzi
• Antique Six Eye Lotus Cross Dzi with Bloodspots
• Antique Tiger Tooth and Lotus Dzi with Bloodspots

New

• New Ten Eye Dzi, warm brown agate
• New Nine Eye Dzi, grey-black agate

Fifteen eyes, one sphere, and one to two thousand years of continuous use.

📷 We never retouch our photos. Every bead is photographed exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.