Ancient Round Tiger Stripe & Stars Carnelian Dzi, 20.1mm × 19.1mm, reddish-brown sphere, full-surface motif with heavy calcification (Ac-122224-TSS)

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

On a spherical bead there is no centre and no edge. The tiger stripe and stars cover everything, and the calcification that has built up over the motif lines is now as much a part of the surface as the decoration beneath it.

At 20.1mm × 19.1mm this is the only spherical decorated carnelian in the collection — a near-perfect globe carrying two motifs at once. Tiger stripe bands of parallel V-chevrons run across the main faces, just as on barrel-shaped tiger stripe beads, but here they wrap a surface with no flat sides and no beginning or end. The star motif sits around the drill holes: crossing diagonal lines forming asterisk-like points, with a ring circling each bore. Because it wraps a sphere, the composition never settles into a single front; it reads differently from every angle.

The surface is the most dramatically aged in our carnelian collection. Heavy white-cream calcification covers every face, sitting in and above the grooves rather than simply staining them. On Face A (Image 2) the deposits are heavy and merge with the motif lines in places. On Face B (Image 4) they are lighter, and the tiger stripe chevrons read clearly, showing the design underneath is intact. Face D (Image 6) has the roughest, most built-up area at the top. This uneven distribution — heavy in some places, light in others — is what natural long-term deposits look like.

The drill hole face (Image 3) is the most complex view: a small, slightly off-centre hole ringed by the star motif, with lines radiating outward and tiger stripe chevrons framing the edge. Between the lines and deposits, the carnelian is a deep, warm reddish-brown on every face. Compared with the Ancient Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi (Ac-030823-5TS2), whose calcification is concentrated on one face, this bead's deposits cover the whole sphere.

The Tiger Stripe and Stars Motif

The tiger stripe stands for the tiger's strength and courage — the power to push aside obstacles and move through difficulty. The stars are associated with celestial guidance, wisdom and a clear path forward. Together on a sphere — itself a symbol of wholeness — they join the tiger's earthly strength with the stars' heavenly guidance.

Specifications

• Motif: Tiger Stripe and Stars; V-chevron tiger stripe bands on the main faces, star lines and rings around the drill holes
• Length: 20.1mm
• Diameter: 19.1mm
• Form: Near-perfect sphere
• Material: Deep warm reddish-brown carnelian with off-white to sandy-cream motif lines; heavy calcification on all faces
• Age: Ancient, estimated 500–1,000 years
• Condition: Heavy, uneven calcification across all faces; small, slightly off-centre drill hole; no cracks or chips seen
• Bloodspots: None seen in the photographs
• Product ID: Ac-122224-TSS
• Collection: Ancient Dzi Beads | Carnelian Dzi | Round Beads

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Further Reading

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

A sphere covered entirely in tiger stripe and stars — earthly strength and heavenly guidance on a surface with no end.