Antique Natural Banded Agate Dzi Bead — 63.9 mm, Blue-Grey & Olive-Gold, Medicine Dig, 200–300 Years (AT-N-110426-NBA)

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

This bead measures 63.9 mm along its long axis and 15.0 mm at its widest point — a long, substantial barrel that tapers evenly to both tips, among the larger antique natural agate dzi in our collection. Nothing on it was etched. Every line and colour on this bead is the internal banding of the agate itself, revealed when the stone was cut and polished into shape. It cannot wear away, because it runs all the way through the stone.

The colour is a cool blue-grey to blue-black set against a warm olive-gold. Two sets of bands cross each other: dark and olive stripes run along the length of the bead, while broader olive-gold bands run around it, so the surface reads almost like a woven plaid — dark blocks alternating with warm ones as you turn the bead. Through the centre, one olive-gold band is crisply edged on both sides by a single fine white line (images 1–3). Toward each end the stone changes character: the bands tighten into clusters of very fine white and grey rings, and at the tips (images 4 and 5) they close into concentric circles around the drill holes, with the agate darkening to a deep brown-black at each end.

The surface carries a soft, settled polish from long handling. Under magnification (images 6–8) it shows a fine, even texture of tiny pits and sparkling flecks across both the dark and the olive zones — the slow weathering of an agate surface over generations. This kind of texture is among the reliable physical signs of genuine age, and it cannot be convincingly reproduced artificially. There are no bloodspots on this bead.

Medicine dig. In the olive-gold central band, close to one of the fine white lines, the bead carries a small, irregular recess where a little of the stone has been scraped away. It shows as a pale mark in image 2 and in detail in the macro photograph (image 6). This is a medicine dig. In Tibet, dzi were long valued as medicine as well as amulets, and a tiny amount of powder was sometimes scraped from a bead and taken as a remedy. A medicine dig is a mark of the bead's use within that tradition, and many collectors regard it as part of a dzi's history rather than as damage.

Flattened area. Along one side of the barrel, part of the curved surface is noticeably flatter than the rest. It is easiest to see in the two hand-held macro views (images 7 and 8), where the light reflects off it as a broad, straight band instead of the narrow curved highlight elsewhere on the bead. The flattened area is smooth and polished, with the same weathered texture as the rest of the surface, and it does not affect the banding or the strength of the bead. We point it out so that you know exactly what to expect when you turn the bead in your hand.

Both drill holes are centred in the tips and are functional. There are no chips or cracks.

The Natural Banded Agate Dzi

Not every dzi carries a craftsman's design. Some of the beads most valued in Tibet are natural agate dzi, where the pattern was formed by the stone itself, layer by layer, long before any bead-maker shaped it. These beads were understood to carry the protective power of the stone in its purest form: nothing added, nothing applied, the stone's own markings left to speak. Crossing bands like those on this bead, where warm and cool layers meet and interlock, were read as balance and protection on every side. The medicine dig adds a further layer of meaning. It shows that this bead was not only worn but trusted, valued enough to be drawn on as a remedy, and then kept and handed on.

Specifications

Motif: Natural banded agate — no applied etching; crossing blue-grey and olive-gold bands in a plaid-like pattern, central olive-gold band edged by fine white lines, fine white and grey rings toward both tips
Length: 63.9 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm
Form: Long barrel, tapered at both ends
Material: Natural banded agate
Color: Blue-grey to blue-black and olive-gold body; fine white accent bands; deep brown-black tips
Bloodspots: None
Tier: Antique
Age Estimate: Antique — 200–300 years
Condition: Very good for age. One medicine dig in the central olive-gold band (images 2 and 6). One flattened area along one side of the barrel, smooth and polished (images 7 and 8). Fine surface weathering consistent with age. No chips or cracks. Both drill holes functional.
Product ID: AT-N-110426-NBA
Collections: Antique Dzi Beads · Natural Agate Dzi · All Products

Other antique pieces in the collection:

• AT-N-071126-BOW — Antique Bow-Shaped Natural Dzi, Pitch-Black Banded Agate, 107.1 mm
• AT-082326-6EMD — Antique Six Eye Dzi Bead with Medicine Digs, Warm Brown, 36 mm
• AC-101026-CM2 — Ancient Carnelian Longevity Motif Bead with Medicine Dig, 24.4 mm
• AT-0426-3EQ — Antique Three Eye Dzi Bead, Rare Qing Dynasty Chinese Dzi, 57.5 mm

Further reading: Natural Dzi Beads: When the Stone Writes Its Own Story · Where Do Dzi Beads Come From?

Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed unretouched and described exactly as found. What you see is what you will receive.

Photos: Unretouched images of the exact bead listed. Eight product photographs: three white-background views of the barrel showing the crossing bands from different sides, with the medicine dig visible in image 2 (images 1–3); two angled end views showing both drill holes and the concentric rings at each tip (images 4 and 5); one macro close-up of the medicine dig (image 6); and two hand-held macro views of the flattened area along one side of the barrel (images 7 and 8).

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