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Antique Diamond Spear Carnelian Dzi with Bloodspots, brilliant white ground, 40.5mm × 13.1mm, 300–500 yrs (At-082524-DS) 金剛杄天珠
Antique Diamond Spear Carnelian Dzi with Bloodspots, brilliant white ground, 40.5mm × 13.1mm, 300–500 yrs (At-082524-DS) 金剛杄天珠
We never retouch our photos. What you see is exactly what you will receive.
This motif is built from one geometric idea — and states it four times around the bead.
Diamond at the top. Hourglass above and below. Vertical stripe separating it from the next unit. Repeat. The Diamond Spear (金剛杄天珠) composition is one of the most architecturally precise motifs in the dzi tradition: the same vocabulary — diamond, hourglass, stripe — cycles across all four main faces of this bead in deep chocolate-brown against a brilliant bright white carnelian ground. Each face shows two complete units. Rotate and the pattern continues seamlessly, the geometry declaring itself from every angle without variation or interruption.
The material is carnelian — Pema Raka in Tibetan — the rarest stone ground in the dzi tradition, and on this bead it presents in its most luminous form. The ground is brilliant bright white: not sandy-cream, not warm beige, but a near-pure white that gives the deep chocolate-brown motif the highest contrast of any bead in the collection. Within this whiteness, the carnelian's natural character shows in warmer undertone variations at the end zones and across the surface — patches of warm cream and honey-white alongside brighter pure white, the stone's internal colour variation visible through its characteristic translucency. No two zones of the surface are identical in tone. This is what distinguishes natural carnelian from every manufactured imitation.
The bead measures 40.5mm × 13.1mm in a wide, full-bodied barrel form — substantial at the mid-section, tapering gradually to domed cream-white end caps. The drilled holes at each tip are small and precise, with warm cream interiors consistent with the carnelian's depth of colour throughout the stone. The surface carries a high-lustre glassy polish — the sustained shine of carnelian that has been handled and worn continuously across three to five centuries.
The cinnabar bloodspots on this bead are the subject of Images 2 and 3, both of which are extreme macro photographs taken specifically to show their character. What they reveal: individual, discrete, circular cinnabar dots distributed across the brilliant white ground as a constellation — not diffuse misting, not granular scatter lines, but identifiable individual points of warm vermilion-orange sitting within the carnelian surface. At the boundaries between the dark motif zones and the white ground, warm rust-orange cinnabar halos bleed outward, confirming the geological origin of the inclusions. In standard photography (Images 5 and 6), individual red-orange dots are visible to the naked eye at the bead's edges. These are unambiguous, prominent cinnabar (硃砂/zhūshā) bloodspots — mercuric sulfide formed within the carnelian during its geological history, ranging in colour from deep vermilion to warm rust-orange depending on mineral concentration. Their presence on a carnelian dzi of this age and form is a significant authentication marker and a meaningful part of its spiritual character.
No cracks. Natural weathering marks consistent with 300–500 years of age. Excellent condition.
The Diamond Spear (金剛杄) Motif
The Diamond Spear dzi takes its name from two elements that together form its repeating composition: the diamond, which in the Tibetan tradition carries associations with the Vajra — the indestructible, lightning-like force of enlightened awareness — and the spear, which represents directed power and career momentum. Together the motif is understood to bring success to career and longevity to its wearer: a bead oriented toward professional achievement and sustained vitality across life's full arc. The Vajra connection lends the Diamond Spear a deeper spiritual dimension beyond mere worldly success — the same force that cuts through ignorance in meditation is here expressed as the energy that opens paths in the world.
Specifications
- Motif: Diamond Spear (金剛杄天珠); repeating units of four-pointed diamond + hourglass/bowtie forms above and below + vertical stripe separator; two complete units per main face across four faces; full circumference coverage
- Length: 40.5mm
- Diameter: 13.1mm
- Form: Wide full-bodied barrel; substantial mid-section; gradual taper to domed end caps
- Material: Carnelian (Pema Raka / 紅玉髓); ground colour — brilliant bright white with warm cream and honey-white natural variation; motif colour — deep chocolate-brown; end caps — warm cream-white matching body
- Age Estimate: 300–500 years (antique)
- Condition: No cracks; high-lustre glassy polish throughout; natural weathering marks consistent with age
- Bloodspots: Yes — prominent cinnabar (硃砂/zhūshā) bloodspots confirmed; discrete individual vermilion-orange dots distributed as constellation across white ground (macro Images 2 and 3); individual red-orange points visible to naked eye in standard photography (Images 5 and 6); warm rust-orange halos at dark/cream zone boundaries
- Product ID: At-082524-DS
- Collection: Antique Carnelian Dzi Beads | Antique Dzi Beads
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- At-053126-3DETT — Antique Three Diamond Eye & Tiger Tooth Dzi with Bloodspots, 27.5mm × 13.0mm — the diamond form appears in both beads; compare terracotta-red agate vs white carnelian, and diamond-eye vs diamond-spear motif
- At-092724-2EBS — Antique Two Eye Dzi, extreme cinnabar saturation, 41.0mm × 13.0mm — prominent bloodspot comparison; similar diameter; different material (agate vs carnelian) and motif
- At-060326-GRRP — Antique Guru Rinpoche Paraphernalia & Three Eye Dzi with Bloodspots, 44.5mm × 12.0mm — fellow prominent-bloodspot bead; compare cream vs white ground and complex vs geometric motif character
- At-052526-TaBS — Antique Tasso/Tiger Tooth Dzi with Bloodspots, 29.9mm × 12.3mm — bloodspot on agate vs bloodspot on carnelian; compare how cinnabar presents differently across different stone grounds
Further Reading
- Carnelian Dzi Beads (Pema Raka): The Rarest Stone in Tibetan Dzi Tradition — essential reading for this bead: white carnelian ground, bloodspot authentication, and what distinguishes genuine Pema Raka
- Dzi Bead Motifs and Their Meanings: The Complete Guide — Diamond Spear meaning: success to career and longevity to its wearer
A 300–500 year old white carnelian barrel carrying the Diamond Spear in four repetitions, with a constellation of cinnabar visible across its ground — geometry and geology working simultaneously.
We never retouch our photos. What you see is exactly what you will receive.
📷 We never retouch our photos. Every bead is photographed exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.
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