Antique Tibetan Tiger Tooth (Tasso) Motif Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 29.9mm × 12.3mm (At-052526-TaBS)

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

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The motif on this bead does not announce itself with a bold graphic. It works differently — through the movement of the agate itself. The Tasso Motif, known also as the Tiger Tooth Motif, the Horse Tooth Motif, or the Wave Motif depending on tradition and region, is defined by a sinuous, tooth-like sweep of colour that rides across the bead's body. Here, that sweep is rendered in the bead's own natural banding: warm reddish-orange tones curve and cut against a deep grey-black centre zone, forming the characteristic Tasso arc without any applied decoration. The motif is the stone.

In Tibetan belief, the Tasso Motif is associated with strength and courage — qualities historically prized in a portable talisman worn during travel, trade, or hardship. The tiger tooth reading, specifically, carries additional associations with protection and ferocity. That this bead carries those associations through its natural patterning rather than an etched or treated design gives it a particular quiet authority.

What makes this bead remarkable is the bloodspots. They are not uniform. Under standard photography they appear as warm orange-red concentrations within the natural banding at the ends of the bead. Under the macro lens — as you can see in the close-up images — the bloodspot zones reveal two distinct characters. One shows deep red-brown layered striations, dense and directional. The other reveals a scattered field of iron-oxide micro-dots distributed across warm amber agate, concentrated near the drill hole. No two bloodspot formations on any bead are alike; these are geological events, not decorative choices, and they are a primary authentication marker for genuine aged agate dzi.

The bead measures 29.9mm × 12.3mm — a solid, hand-filling size with a nicely tapered barrel form. The agate is natural high-quality stone. Condition is excellent: no cracks. Fine surface weathering marks and minor contact digs are present and are, as always with pieces of this age, part of the authentic record of the bead's life. This bead is estimated to be between 300 and 500 years old.

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SPECIFICATIONS

Motif: Tasso (Tiger Tooth / Horse Tooth / Wave Motif) Length: 29.9 mm Diameter: 12.3 mm Material: Natural agate Age Estimate: 300–500 years Condition: Excellent — no cracks; natural weathering marks present Bloodspots: Yes — visible at both ends; iron-oxide micro-dot formation confirmed under macro Product ID: At-052526-TaBS Collection: Antique Dzi Beads | Bloodspot Dzi

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You may also like:

• Antique Heaven & Earth Motif Dzi with Bloodspots — At-0426-HGEG
• Antique Tibetan Heaven & Earth Dzi, Amber-on-Black — At-0426-HE

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The Tasso Motif has been interpreted across centuries as a symbol of the tiger's tooth, the horse's strength, and the ocean's wave. Whatever tradition you read it through, what this bead holds is real: genuine aged agate, genuine bloodspots, genuine time.

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

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📷 We never retouch our photos. Every bead is photographed exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.

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