Antique Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi, 25.2mm × 11.0mm, honey-gold chevrons on chocolate-brown, reworked (At-030823-5TSR)

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

The single stripe visible through the centre of this bead is not a flaw — it is a document: evidence that this bead was once something else, and was reworked into what you see now.

That stripe — a remnant horizontal band from the bead's original motif, running perpendicular through the current five-chevron tiger stripe composition — is visible on every face in the unretouched photographs. It predates the five-stripe rework: the current motif was applied over an existing carved or etched pattern, and the older mark shows through where the re-etching did not fully resolve it. Reworked carnelian dzi beads have circulated on the Himalayan trade routes for centuries — the original stone was considered valuable enough to rework rather than discard, and the new motif was applied by a craftsman who either preserved or could not fully erase the prior composition. We disclose this fully because the photographs show exactly what is there. What you see is what you receive.

The five-stripe tiger stripe composition itself is bold and legible across all faces. Five parallel V-chevron bands run continuously around the bead's circumference, each chevron pointing in a uniform direction, the pattern building the characteristic directional momentum of the tiger stripe motif. The motif lines on this bead are warm honey-gold to sandy-golden-tan — a distinctly different tone from every other tiger stripe carnelian in this collection. Where Ac-030525-5TS and Ac-030823-5TS2 carry cool silver-grey or off-white etched lines, this bead's lines are warm, golden, and mineral-rich in tone — the result of a different treatment chemistry and age profile, consistent with the antique (200–500 year) range.

The ground colour is equally distinctive. The primary body reads as warm medium chocolate-brown, but natural carnelian banding creates two-tone zones visible across multiple faces: on Face A (Image 2) a lighter pinkish-rose to warm cream zone appears at the upper portion; on Face B (Image 3) the chocolate-brown dominates more fully. This banding is a geological feature of the stone and is visible in the unretouched photographs. The surface has a high-gloss polish — the most reflective of all the carnelian beads in this collection — with no calcification and no significant surface weathering beyond the aged motif lines.

The form is a rounded rectangular barrel — smooth curved face transitions, not octagonal. At 25.2mm × 11.0mm, the proportions are similar to Ac-030823-5TS2 (28.6mm × 12.9mm) but the rounded body, the high-gloss surface, the honey-gold motif tone, the antique (not ancient) age range, and the documented rework make this a fundamentally different object. The drill holes (Images 6–7) are small, centred, and clean — consistent with the 200–500 year antique period.

The Tiger Stripe Motif

The five-stripe tiger stripe (虎牙紋 / hǔ yá wén) in Tibetan and Himalayan dzi tradition represents the tiger's strength distributed across all five directions of the Buddhist cosmological compass. The tiger's force — the ability to move through obstacles, deflect negativity, and advance without obstruction — is multiplied by the fivefold repetition and made complete in all directions. A reworked bead of this type carries a double history: the courage of the tiger and the perseverance of the craftsman who chose to continue working the stone.

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Spec Block

• Motif: Five Tiger Stripe (虎牙紋 / hǔ yá wén) — five V-chevron bands running continuously around full circumference; reworked over earlier motif; single remnant stripe from original pattern visible crossing chevron field on all faces
• Length: 25.2mm
• Diameter: 11.0mm
• Form: Rounded rectangular barrel; smooth curved face transitions; not octagonal
• Material: Warm medium chocolate-brown carnelian with natural two-tone banding (pinkish-rose to warm cream zones visible in photographs); warm honey-gold to sandy-golden-tan motif chevron lines; high-gloss polish
• Age Estimate: 200–500 years
• Condition: Reworked — five tiger stripe motif applied over earlier pattern; single remnant horizontal stripe from original motif visible through new composition on all faces (visible in unretouched photographs); no cracks; no chips; drill holes clean and centred
• Bloodspots: None confirmed from photographs
• Product ID: At-030823-5TSR
• Collection: Antique Carnelian Dzi

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You May Also Like

• Ancient Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi, octagonal (Ac-030525-5TS) — same five-stripe motif; octagonal; silver-grey lines; uniform terracotta-red; 800–1,000 years; not reworked
• Ancient Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi with Calcification (Ac-030823-5TS2) — five-stripe motif; rectangular barrel; heavy calcification; 500–800 years; not reworked
• Ancient Twin Tiger Stripe & Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi (Ac-061126-TSTT) — combined tiger stripe and tooth motif; bicolour carnelian; octagonal
• Ancient Round Tiger Stripe & Stars Carnelian Dzi (Ac-122224-TSS) — tiger stripe + stars on sphere; heavy calcification; 500–1,000 years

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From the Blog

• What Are Dzi Beads? History, Meaning & Authenticity
• Understanding Carnelian Dzi Beads

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Five stripes over one — a carnelian that carries two histories in the same stone.

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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