Tasso Motif with Bloodspots, 29.1×11.6mm, Pitch-Black Agate (At-071426-TaBS4)

🪨 Natural agate. Unretouched photos. What you see is what ships.

The pale zones on this bead are anything but plain. One macro photograph shows a concentrated area of deep orange-red at the heart of the motif, surrounded by scattered reddish-orange dots across the whole tasso form.

This antique tasso dzi is one of the richest in cinnabar among our tasso bloodspot beads. The tasso motif, two opposing diagonal chevrons sweeping across the face, reads in the body photographs as a bold contrast between the pitch-black ground and the pale motif zones. The macro photographs tell the rest: the pale zones carry scattered reddish-orange pinpoint dots throughout, with a concentrated area of intense orange-red at the heart of one motif field, dense enough to read almost as a wash of colour within the stone.

The ground is pitch-black through the body. The end caps at both drill ends shift to a deep warm reddish-brown, the dark centre giving way to a warmer tone at each tip. The drill openings are small and clean, set within the warm domes of the end caps.

Two macro photographs are included: the first shows the concentrated orange-red area within the cream; the second shows the scattered dots across the broader cream zone. Together they show both the intensity and the extent of the natural cinnabar on this piece.

The surface carries age-consistent micro-texture across the dark zones, visible in the macro shots, and some fine surface marks. No chips or cracks are visible. At 29.1×11.6mm this is a compact barrel.

The Tasso Motif

The tasso, also known as the tiger tooth dzi, is one of the most protective motifs in the Tibetan dzi tradition. The tiger is revered across Himalayan cultures as a guardian against harmful forces, and the tiger tooth form is understood to carry that protective energy. Tasso dzi are traditionally worn for protection against negative influences, obstacles, and harm. Read more in Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations.

Bloodspots

Bloodspots are inclusions of cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā), a reddish-orange mineral that occurs naturally within the agate. Cinnabar cannot be added to a bead, and it appears in new beads as well as old, so it is a feature to enjoy rather than a proof of age. On this bead it is extreme: a concentrated area of deep orange-red at the heart of the motif, with reddish-orange dots across the whole of the cream zones. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

Specifications

• Motif: Tasso (Tiger Tooth)
• Length: 29.1mm
• Diameter: 11.6mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate; pitch-black body; warm reddish-brown end caps
• Age estimate: Antique, 300–500 years
• Condition: Good; age-consistent micro-surface texture; fine surface marks; no chips or cracks visible
• Bloodspots: Extreme; concentrated orange-red area at the motif centre plus scattered reddish-orange dots across the cream, shown in two macro photographs
• Product ID: At-071426-TaBS4
• Collections: Antique Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

Companion tasso bloodspot dzi

• Antique Tasso Dzi with Bloodspots, 29.9mm
• Antique Tasso Dzi with Bloodspot Constellation, 28.7mm
• Antique Tasso Dzi with Bloodspots, deep brown, 29.4mm

From the blog

• What Gives Dzi Beads Value, and What to Be Careful Of
• Bloodspots in Dzi Beads

All photos are unretouched. Colour and surface detail are as photographed.

📷 7 unretouched product photos included.