Antique Tasso Motif Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 29.4mm × 14.0mm, Deep Brown Agate (At-093024-TaBS3)

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

The width stops you first.

Our other Tasso beads — At-052526-TaBS at 12.3mm and At-092924-TaBS2 at 11.2mm — are elongated barrels whose Tasso reads as opposing tooth points across a narrow face. This bead is 14.0mm across and 29.4mm long, so wide that it approaches a disc. It sits differently in the hand, presenting more surface at every angle, and the Tasso uses all of it: one broad, sweeping form curving from one boundary stripe to the other in a single movement.

That is the key difference. On narrower beads the Tasso reads as teeth facing each other across a dark gap; here, with more room, it becomes a wave — one unbroken cream line arcing across deep chocolate-brown agate, unhurried and generous.

The ground is a deep, dense chocolate-brown, almost black in direct light, its warmth showing at an angle. The cream Tasso fills much of each face, so the contrast reads in broad, bold bands rather than fine lines.

Bloodspots

The bloodspots here are visible without magnification. In the main photograph, rust-orange and vermilion cinnabar (朱砂) inclusions show clearly within the cream field — large enough to see at normal viewing distance. They are natural mineral inclusions within the agate itself and cannot be added. Bloodspots add to a bead's beauty and appeal, though they are not in themselves proof of age. See our bloodspots guide.

The body shows natural weathering and minor digs consistent with its age, and a gentle micro-texture across all faces. Both drill holes are intact. No cracks.

The Tasso Motif

The Tasso — read as tiger tooth, horse tooth or wave — stands for strength and courage in every interpretation: forward movement, force channelled into form. On this broad bead, with its generous wave, that meaning is at its most expansive.

Specifications

• Motif: Tasso (tiger tooth, horse tooth or wave); one broad sweeping wave per face
• Length: 29.4mm
• Diameter: 14.0mm
• Form: Wide, disc-like barrel
• Material: Natural agate, deep chocolate-brown with cream Tasso
• Age: Antique, estimated 300–500 years
• Condition: Excellent; no cracks; natural weathering and minor digs
• Bloodspots: Yes — Prominent; vermilion and rust-orange cinnabar visible in the cream field
• Product ID: At-093024-TaBS3
• Collection: Antique Dzi Beads | Bloodspot Dzi Beads

You May Also Like

• Antique Tasso Dzi with Bloodspots, Pitch-Black (At-092924-TaBS2)
• Antique Tasso Tiger Tooth Dzi with Bloodspots (At-052526-TaBS)
• Antique Tiger Tooth Tasso Dzi, Cream Ground (At-053126-Ta4)

Further Reading

• Bloodspots in Dzi Beads
• Dzi Bead Motifs and Their Meanings

Three Tasso beads, three different bodies, three readings of the same motif — this is the broadest, warmest and most openly wave-like.