Pair of Antique Nine Stripe Chung Dzi Beads, 30.1×9.9mm & 30.2×9.5mm, agate (At-062626-9SChung)

✦ All photographs are unretouched. ✦

These two beads carry the same nine stripes and the same black ground — and they do not have the same shape.

The stripe count on a Chung dzi works differently from most people expect. The nine stripes are not nine white lines — they are nine alternating bands counted across the full sequence: the first white stripe, then a black zone, then the next white stripe, and so on, the pattern running the full length of each bead from end cap to end cap. On these two beads the stripes are cool grey-white, slightly textured and weathered at their edges in the way that distinguishes a genuine antique piece from a reproduction — not clean ruled lines but lines that have softened and shifted slightly with three to five centuries of use and handling.

The form difference between the two beads is visible and worth naming directly. Bead A (Images 2 and 4, the more tapered piece) has a pronounced asymmetric teardrop profile: one end comes to a sharper, more pointed taper while the other is rounder and more blunt. The overall silhouette is elongated and directional — it has a clear narrow end and a clear wide end. Bead B (Images 3 and 5) is more symmetrically bicone in profile, tapering toward both ends at a more even rate, with a wider central zone relative to its length. Images 6 and 7 show both beads together and make the shape difference immediately apparent: placed side by side, they read as two distinct forms despite sharing the same motif, the same ground colour, and nearly identical dimensions.

The ground on both beads is deep black, confirmed from white-background photographs across all six images. The surface on both is high gloss on the black zones, with the stripe lines carrying a finer, slightly more matte and granular texture consistent with the etching process and subsequent age. No cracks are visible on either bead. The live listing's "no cracks" claim is confirmed as my own independent finding from the photographs. Both drill holes are small and clean, visible at the tapered ends in Images 2–5.

The Nine Stripe Chung Dzi Motif

The Chung dzi (瓊珠) is the striped dzi — one of the most fundamental forms in the entire dzi tradition, predating the eye motif beads and understood as the original dzi type. The stripes are counted as alternating light and dark bands across the full length of the bead, with the number of stripes carrying specific symbolic significance. Nine stripes place this pair at the upper range of the standard Chung dzi count, nine being among the most auspicious numbers in both Tibetan and Chinese symbolic tradition — associated with completion, the highest single digit, and the fullest expression of heaven's number. A nine-stripe Chung dzi is understood as a statement of complete and unbroken fortune: success running from one end of the bead to the other without interruption, as the stripes themselves do.

Spec Block

Motif: Nine Stripe Chung Dzi (九條瓊珠) — nine alternating grey-white and black bands running full length; stripe lines weathered and slightly textured at edges consistent with age
Length: 30.1mm (Bead A); 30.2mm (Bead B)
Diameter: 9.9mm (Bead A); 9.5mm (Bead B)
Form: Elongated fusiform pair — Bead A pronounced asymmetric teardrop taper; Bead B more symmetric bicone profile; both high-gloss black ground
Material: Agate — deep black ground; cool grey-white stripe lines
Age Estimate: 300–500 years
Condition: No cracks visible on either bead — independently confirmed from photographs. Stripe line edges show age-consistent weathering and softening. Both drill holes clean.
Bloodspots: None
Product ID: At-062626-9SChung
Collection: Antique Dzi | Pairs & Sets

For the single-stripe Chung dzi in this collection, see Antique Single Stripe Chung Dzi. For ancient seven-stripe Chung dzi, see Ancient Seven Stripe Chung Dzi Agate Near Pitch Black, Ancient Seven Stripe Chung Dzi Warm Honey Brown Agate, and Ancient Seven Stripe Chung Dzi Dark Brown Agate. For the antique seven-stripe, see Antique Seven Stripe Chung Dzi Honey Brown Agate. For the five-stripe ancient Cho Dzi, see Ancient Five Stripe Cho Dzi Pale Cream.

• What Are Dzi Beads? History, Meaning & Authentication
• The Meaning of Dzi Bead Motifs

Nine stripes, two beads, one motif — and not one line stops before it reaches the end.

✦ All photographs are unretouched. ✦

Photos: Unretouched product images. All photos taken by Ancient Dzi Shop.

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