Three Eye & Tiger Tooth Motif, 48.0×12.5mm, pitch-black agate, cinnabar bloodspots (At-070926-3ETTBS)

✦ Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed unretouched and described exactly as found. ✦

The red dots in the macro photographs are not part of the motif — they are cinnabar inclusions sitting inside the agate itself, visible to the naked eye without magnification.

This antique Tibetan dzi bead carries a composite three eye and tiger tooth motif on a pitch-black agate ground, measuring 48.0×12.5mm and estimated at 300–500 years of age. The ground is pitch-black, confirmed from all flat-lit white-background photographs. The cream-white motif lines are crisp and well-defined throughout: on each of the three primary faces, a single eye — a cream ring enclosing a dark centre — is framed by tiger tooth chevron elements on either side, creating a face that reads as both protective and composed. The vertical stripe separators divide the bead into its three panel zones. From the angled end shots (images 8–9) the warm reddish-brown natural banding of the agate is visible at the drill end caps, transitioning cleanly into the pitch-black body.

The cinnabar inclusions (硃砂, zhusha — mercuric sulfide) are the defining physical feature of this bead. All three macro photographs document them: discrete reddish-orange to vermillion pinpoints, individually visible, distributed throughout the cream-white motif zones. Image 2 shows the inclusions scattered across the cream field of the tiger tooth zone and the lower cream stripe — bright, individually distinct, unmistakably reddish-red. Image 3 brings the eye ring zone into focus: the cinnabar dots are concentrated around the cream ring, with additional scatter through the surrounding field. Image 4 shows the same distribution in a different cream zone — the pinpoints are consistent across the full surface of the cream areas. These inclusions are sub-surface within the agate; they cannot be removed, added, or artificially replicated. Their presence at this density and colouration is a strong indicator of the bead's genuine age and authenticity.

The surface shows weathering marks and minor digs consistent with 300–500 years of handling and use — evidence of authentic age, not damage. The black ground shows fine age-consistent surface micro-texture. No cracks are present anywhere on the piece; I confirm this independently from all eight photographs.

At 48.0×12.5mm this bead has the proportions to function as a centrepiece or primary focal bead. The pitch-black ground makes both the cream motif and the visible cinnabar inclusions read with maximum contrast.

The Three Eye & Tiger Tooth Motif

The three eye dzi is one of the most significant configurations in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, associated with the three jewels — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha — and connected to the goddess of wealth and abundance. The tiger tooth motif adds protective energy: the downward and upward-pointing chevrons evoke the tiger's strength and its role as a guardian against harm. On a dual-motif bead, these two symbolic systems are understood to reinforce each other — the three eyes bringing happiness, success, and longevity, the tiger tooth providing the protective field within which those blessings can accumulate. The cinnabar inclusions add a further layer: in Tibetan material culture, bloodspot dzi are considered among the most potent and sought-after objects, their red inclusions read as evidence of the stone's inner vitality.

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Motif: Three Eye & Tiger Tooth (dual motif)
Length: 48.0mm
Diameter: 12.5mm
Form: Barrel, fusiform
Material: Agate (pitch-black body; warm reddish-brown natural banding at end caps; cream-white motif lines with cinnabar bloodspot inclusions)
Age Estimate: 300–500 years
Condition: Surface weathering marks and minor digs consistent with genuine age. Fine age-consistent surface micro-texture on black ground. No cracks.
Bloodspots: Tier 3 — cinnabar (硃砂/zhusha, mercuric sulfide). Discrete reddish-orange to vermillion pinpoints distributed throughout cream motif zones; cream-zone focused scattered distribution; visible to the naked eye. Documented in macro photographs (images 2–4).
Product ID: At-070926-3ETTBS
Collection: Antique Dzi / Bloodspot Dzi / All Products

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Browse related pieces:
→ Antique Dzi Beads
→ Bloodspot Dzi Beads
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Further reading:
→ What Gives Dzi Beads Value — and What to Be Careful Of
→ Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations

Each piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is offered as found — no restoration, no enhancement, no retouching.

✦ Unretouched photographs. Honest descriptions. Every piece exactly as it is. ✦

All photographs are unretouched. Colours are represented as accurately as camera and lighting permit.

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