Nine Eye Motif, 77.0×12.8mm, deep dark brown agate with bloodspots (At-062926-9EBS)

🔍 Unretouched photos. 📐 Dimensions verified. ✅ Described from direct observation.

At 77 millimetres, this bead does not fit comfortably in one hand — and the nine eyes run across it without interruption.

This antique nine eye dzi measures 77.0×12.8mm — the longest straight-barrel dzi in this collection, exceeding the previous largest nine eye bead by nearly 18mm. The form is a long, slender spindle-taper barrel with gently pointed ends, giving the bead an unusually elegant elongated profile. At this length it reads differently from a standard-format dzi: the nine eyes distribute across three faces of the circumference, so the full motif cannot be seen from a single angle. You see a portion of the composition from each face, and the eyes continue around the bead beyond what any one photograph can capture.

The ground is very deep dark brown — a concentrated, dense chocolate-brown that absorbs light in the deepest zones. The motif lines — eye rings and the connecting heaven-and-earth lines between them — are a warm cream-to-sandy-peach tone rather than a cool white, giving the bead a warmer, more aged colour character than nine eye dzi with brighter cream motifs. This warm-toned motif line against the very dark brown ground is a distinctive feature of this particular piece and is clearly documented in the product photos.

The surface preservation is exceptional. The motif lines are crisp and well-defined across all faces. The dark ground zones retain a deep, smooth gloss. The macro photos (Images 6 and 7) document the surface at close range: the cream-zone areas show fine russet-red to cinnamon-brown micro-dots distributed across the pale field — bloodspot cinnabar (硃砂/zhusha, mercuric sulfide) inclusions concentrated in the cream-to-peach transition zones. Image 7 additionally reveals the characteristic micro-textured surface of the dark ground zones at high magnification — a fine granular quality consistent with the genuine acid-etching process and centuries of mineral consolidation. No cracks or chips are present — this is my own finding from all seven photo angles, including both macro images.

This bead's condition is consistent with altar use across its history: kept in a fixed position, handled carefully and infrequently rather than worn daily. That pattern of use — ritual rather than personal — accounts for the degree of surface preservation at 300–500 years of age.

The Nine Eye Motif

The nine eye dzi is regarded across Tibetan and Himalayan tradition as the most powerful of all dzi motifs. Nine is the highest single digit — the number of completion and all-encompassing accumulation. The nine eyes are believed to attract the Nine Planetary Deities and to bring their combined blessings: fortune, wisdom, compassion, power, renown, healing, virtue, auspiciousness, and protection. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the nine eye dzi is associated with Dzambhala, the deity of wealth, and is particularly prized by those seeking to bring material and spiritual abundance into alignment. A bead of this size would command presence on any altar or as the centrepiece of a mala.

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Motif: Nine Eye (九眼天珠)
Length: 77.0mm
Diameter: 12.8mm
Form: Elongated spindle-taper barrel — longest straight-barrel dzi in this collection
Material: Agate
Age Estimate: 300–500 years
Condition: Exceptional surface preservation consistent with altar use. Motif lines crisp, dark ground zones smooth and glossy. No cracks or chips. This is my own observation from all seven photo angles.
Bloodspots: Tier 3 — macro photos document fine russet-red to cinnamon cinnabar (硃砂/zhusha, mercuric sulfide) inclusions; cream-zone focused scattered with denser concentration in cream-to-peach transition zones
Product ID: At-062926-9EBS
Collection: Antique Dzi

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Other Nine Eye Dzi in the Shop

For the previously largest antique nine eye bead at 59.0×13.2mm, see At-012325-9E4.

For the widest antique nine eye bead with bloodspots at 41.3×14.5mm, see At-061926-9E6BS.

Browse all antique nine eye dzi in the Antique Dzi collection.

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📖 Learn more: What Are Dzi Beads? | What Makes a Dzi Bead Authentic?

Every bead at Ancient Dzi Shop is described and photographed without retouching, so what you see is exactly what you receive.

🔍 Unretouched photos. 📐 Dimensions verified. ✅ Described from direct observation.

Photos: Seven unretouched product images including three flat-face rotations, two angled drill-end views, and two macro surface images documenting bloodspot inclusions and surface character.

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