Lotus & Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi, Wide Barrel Form, 28.3×15.8mm, Warm Terracotta-Red (Ac-032320-LTT)

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

The decoration on this bead is not a fine line — it is a wall. The cream-white edges have built up so thickly that they stand above the carnelian like raised stonework.

That texture is the first thing the photographs show. Younger etched carnelian has clean, sharp lines lying flush with the surface; here the white marks are thick, rough-edged and raised, with a granular, encrusted quality that is visible at full size and unmistakable in close-up — the surface character of a very old carnelian dzi.

The body is a warm, vivid terracotta-red on all four main faces, deepening slightly toward the top and with natural reddish-brown variation in places. The end caps are a lighter warm peach-orange. The drill holes are large and funnel-shaped, drilled by hand from both ends; the warm orange-red interior of the channel is visible in Image 5.

The motif combines lotus and tiger tooth across both main faces. The tiger tooth appears as interlocking V-chevrons, the pointed, hooked form seen on other ancient carnelian dzi. Between them, diagonal crossing lines enclose pointed-oval zones of bare carnelian, forming abstract lotus petals. Face A (Images 2 and 3) reads as a dense lattice with two rows of petal zones; on Face B the lotus is more prominent at centre, a V-arrow surrounded by diagonal strokes. Vertical stripe dividers frame the motif at the edges of each face, and the lines continue partway around the faceted shoulders.

Please note the condition before purchase. The photographs show, without retouching, a significant triangular chip on the upper face (clearest in Images 4, 6 and 7), where part of the surface and decoration has broken away to expose a rougher, darker layer below. A fine hairline crack runs from the upper corner of this chip across the face. The damage is old: the exposed area carries the same aged patina as the rest of the bead. Small white mineral spots are scattered across the carnelian (Images 3 and 4); these are consistent with age and do not affect the bead's structure. No bloodspots.

Its wide barrel form — 15.8mm across against only 28.3mm in length — sets it apart from the elongated carnelian beads in the collection. Its closest relative is the Ancient Twin Tiger Stripe and Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi (Ac-061126-TSTT), which shares the tiger tooth chevrons but is long, faceted and two-toned; this piece is compact, wide and red throughout.

The Lotus and Tiger Tooth Motif

The lotus (蓮花) is one of the richest symbols any dzi can carry: the flower that rises from mud unstained, an emblem of purity that does not depend on a pure beginning, and of spiritual potential that survives any circumstance. In Buddhist art the lotus throne supports every enlightened figure. The tiger tooth (虎牙) brings strength, courage and protection — the tiger guards the mountain pass and the threshold, and its tooth is carried to turn away harm. Together they work on two levels: the lotus speaks to what the mind can become, the tiger tooth to what the body must face.

Specifications

• Motif: Lotus and Tiger Tooth (蓮花虎牙天珠); interlocking tiger tooth chevrons with lotus petal zones and vertical stripe dividers
• Length: 28.3mm
• Diameter: 15.8mm
• Form: Wide, short barrel with a slightly faceted cross-section; hand-drilled funnel holes at both ends
• Material: Terracotta-red carnelian with peach-orange end caps; thick, raised cream-white motif lines
• Age: Ancient, estimated 1,000–1,500 years
• Condition: Significant old triangular chip on the upper face with a hairline crack running from it; white mineral spotting; no crack through the body; no medicine digs
• Bloodspots: None
• Product ID: Ac-032320-LTT
• Collection: Ancient Dzi Beads | Carnelian Dzi

You May Also Like

• Ancient Twin Tiger Stripe and Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi (Ac-061126-TSTT)
• Ancient Carnelian Criss Cross Motif Dzi Bead, Hexagon Shape
• Ancient Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi (Ac-030823-5TS2)
• Antique Two Diamond Eye Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi

Further Reading

• Carnelian Dzi Beads: The Pema Raka Guide
• Where Do Dzi Beads Come From?

A thousand years of history, carried honestly — damage, patina and all.