{"product_id":"antique-natural-bow-shaped-dzi-bead-107mm-pitch-black-agate-at-n-071126-bow","title":"Antique Bow-Shaped Natural Dzi, 107.1×19.0×14.3mm, pitch-black banded agate (At-N-071126-BOW)","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e🌿 \u003cem\u003eEthically sourced. Unretouched photos. What you see is what you receive.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAt 107 millimetres, this bow-shaped bead does not fit inside a closed hand — and the curve it describes, from one tapered tip to the other, is the full arc of a piece that spent centuries outside ordinary use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe bow form is among the least common shapes in the dzi tradition. A standard dzi barrel runs straight from drill hole to drill hole. This piece bends. The axis curves, and the banding — two paired groups of natural stripes, each consisting of a broader blue-grey band flanked by a narrower pale grey-white line — wraps around the full circumference, visible from every angle. Image 1 shows the convex outer face of the curve; image 3 shows the concave inner face; image 2 shows how the same bead reads when viewed straight on from the side, resolving into a shape that resembles a long fusiform barrel. The piece is three things depending on the angle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe ground colour is pitch-black, confirmed from flat-lit white-background photographs across four separate images. The polish is uniformly high across the full 107.1mm length. At the tapered ends, faint warm tones are visible in the agate's underlying structure — a natural property of the layered stone that the dominant black surface largely absorbs. Images 5 and 6 show both drill holes: each is small, clean, and centred at the tip of its respective taper. The two ends are not identical — the end in image 6 is marginally wider than the end in image 5, a natural asymmetry in the original stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCondition across all six photographs is without fault. No cracks, no chips, no surface marks. The polish shows no interruption. This is independently confirmed from the photographs, not assumed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAt 200–500 years of age, pieces of this scale were rarely worn as personal adornment. A bead 107mm long presents practical challenges for stringing in wearable jewellery. The more probable use for a piece this size, in the Himalayan and Tibetan contexts from which banded agate dzi originate, is as an altar object — displayed, venerated, handled during practice, but not routinely worn. Its survival in this condition over that period of time is consistent with that kind of careful, protected use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpec Block\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMotif:\u003c\/strong\u003e None — naturally banded agate, no applied or symbolic motif\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength:\u003c\/strong\u003e 107.1mm\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 19.0mm\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDepth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 14.3mm\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForm:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bow-shaped (curved barrel), naturally formed\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Natural banded agate — pitch-black ground, blue-grey and pale grey-white banding\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAge Estimate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 200–500 years\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e No cracks, chips, or surface marks. High polish throughout. Independently confirmed from photographs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBloodspots:\u003c\/strong\u003e None\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct ID:\u003c\/strong\u003e At-N-071126-BOW\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCollection:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/collections\/natural-agate-dzi\"\u003eNatural Agate Dzi\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/collections\/authentic-antique-dzi\"\u003eAntique Dzi\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/collections\/all-products\"\u003eAll Products\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther bow-shaped natural dzi in this collection:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe existing bow-shaped family — \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/collections\/natural-agate-dzi\"\u003eN-N-062026-BOW through BOW6\u003c\/a\u003e — are all new production pieces. At-N-071126-BOW is the first antique bow-shaped natural dzi in the collection, and at 107.1mm it is the longest bow-shaped piece held here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eFurther reading: \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/blogs\/news\/what-gives-dzi-beads-value-and-what-to-be-careful-of\"\u003eWhat Gives Dzi Beads Value?\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/blogs\/news\/where-do-dzi-beads-come-from-origin-history-mystery\"\u003eWhere Do Dzi Beads Come From?\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eEvery bead at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed without filters or retouching. What you see is what you receive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e🌿 \u003cem\u003eEthically sourced. Unretouched photos. What you see is what you receive.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto line:\u003c\/strong\u003e All 6 photographs are unretouched. Images 1 and 3–4 show the convex and concave curve faces. Image 2 shows the straight side profile. Images 5 and 6 show the two tapered drill-hole ends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e#AncientDziShop #BowShapedDzi #NaturalDziBead #AntiqueDzi #BandedAgate #NaturalAgateDzi #TibetanDzi #DziBead #AltarPiece #TibetanArtifact #NaturallyFormedDzi #AgateCollector #TibetanBuddhism #DziCollection #HimalayanArtifact\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ancient Dzi Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56769430159526,"sku":null,"price":3000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0979\/7198\/files\/antiquenaturalbow-shapedbandedagatedzi_1.jpg?v=1783746745","url":"https:\/\/www.ancientdzishop.com\/products\/antique-natural-bow-shaped-dzi-bead-107mm-pitch-black-agate-at-n-071126-bow","provider":"Ancient Dzi Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}