Three Stripe Carnelian Dzi, 48.7 × 9.4mm, bicolour terracotta-red and pitch-black (At-122324-3TS)

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

---

The bicolour contrast on this bead does not come from the etching — it comes from the stone itself, and the three cream-white stripes were placed precisely where the carnelian changes colour.

This is one of the most structurally legible striped carnelian dzi beads in the collection. The motif is three horizontal bands of cream-white etching, dividing the bead into four alternating panels: vivid warm terracotta-red end caps at both poles, two pitch-black central zones flanking the body, and a terracotta-red centre band between the two inner stripes. The panel arrangement reads clearly from every angle — the photographer has not needed to correct or enhance a single detail, and the colour contrast is as direct in the photographs as it is in the hand.

The stripes themselves deserve close attention. Photographed at full resolution across multiple angles, the cream-white bands show the characteristic rough, granular, mineralised edge texture of genuine acid-etching: uneven boundaries, slight pitting along the stripe margins, and a surface quality that distinguishes hand-etched ancient work from any modern reproduction. On one face (Image 5), the outermost right stripe shows partial fading and wear along the upper edge — an age marker, not a defect, and it is disclosed here in full. The stripes have not been retouched, re-cut, or filled.

The body form is an elongated fusiform barrel: widest at the centre, tapering symmetrically to both ends. The terracotta-red end caps are high-gloss — natural to the carnelian in those zones — while the pitch-black body panels carry a matte to semi-matte surface, a contrast that is intrinsic to the stone and not produced by polishing. Small white mineral deposits are visible at the drill hole rim in Image 6 — a surface accumulation consistent with age and storage, not damage. Two small surface pinhole-scale marks appear on the right end cap face (Image 3), disclosed here as minor surface character.

This bead is distinguished from the six-stripe carnelian (At-070822-6TS) in the collection by its stripe count and body register: where that bead carries six bands across a longer, wider barrel with natural mauve-pink banding, this three-stripe bead is markedly more slender (9.4mm diameter versus 12.9mm), and the bicolour contrast between the red and black zones is more pronounced and immediate. The three-stripe composition is rarer in the antique carnelian tradition, and the placement of the stripes at the exact colour boundaries — rather than across a single-colour body — suggests a maker reading and responding to the natural zoning of the stone.

---

The Stripe (條紋 / Tiáowén) Motif

In the Tibetan dzi bead tradition, stripes carry the meaning of unceasing flow — a line that does not stop, that does not turn back, that persists across whatever ground it crosses. The tiger stripe form (虎紋 / hǔwén) is the most recognised expression of this idea, but the horizontal register stripe — as seen here — is an older and more direct statement: a band that divides the world into layers, or that marks a boundary and then continues past it. For Tibetan and Himalayan wearers, striped beads have long been associated with continuity, protection along a path, and the kind of success that accumulates steadily rather than arriving all at once. This bead's three stripes, read across its bicolour ground, carry that meaning in the most visually compact form: nothing is hidden, nothing is approximate, and the composition does not ask you to interpret it.

---

Specifications

Motif: Three Stripe (條紋 / Tiáowén); three horizontal cream-white etched bands; four alternating panels of terracotta-red and pitch-black carnelian Length: 48.7mm Diameter: 9.4mm Form: Elongated fusiform barrel; symmetrical taper to both ends; widest at centre Material: Bicolour natural carnelian — vivid warm terracotta-red end caps and centre band; pitch-black central panels; cream-white acid-etched stripe lines; high-gloss on red zones, matte on dark zones Age Estimate: 200–300 years Condition: One stripe showing partial edge wear on reverse face (disclosed, Image 5); two minor pinhole-scale marks on right end cap face (disclosed, Image 3); small mineral deposits at drill hole rim (Image 6); no cracks; no rework; no medicine digs Bloodspots: None observed Product ID: At-122324-3TS Collection: Antique Carnelian Dzi | Antique Dzi Beads

---

You may also like

If this bead speaks to you, you may want to explore related pieces in the collection:

• Antique Six Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi (At-070822-6TS) — the six-stripe fusiform, bicolour end caps, longest carnelian in the collection at 50.7×12.9mm
• Antique Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi, Reworked (At-030823-5TSR) — honey-gold chevron stripes, reworked bead with original stripe visible beneath the composition, 25.2×11.0mm
• Ancient Five Tiger Stripe Carnelian Dzi (Ac-030525-5TS) — octagonal cross-section, ancient funnel drill hole, 800–1,000 years, 31.6×11.4mm
• Ancient Twin Tiger Stripe & Tiger Tooth Carnelian Dzi (Ac-061126-TSTT) — bicolour terracotta-red and deep grey-black agate, widest-diameter carnelian, 26.5×13.5mm
• Ancient Three Diamond Eye & Tiger Tooth Dzi (At-053126-3DETT) — terracotta-red ground, diamond eye precursor, cinnabar bloodspots, 27.5×13.0mm

---

From the blog

• What Makes a Dzi Bead Authentic? — on etching methods, surface age markers, and how to read a genuine carnelian bead
• The Meaning of Carnelian in Tibetan Dzi Tradition — on the role of red and orange stones in Himalayan protective jewellery

---

Three stripes, two colours, one stone — and the maker placed the lines exactly where the carnelian told them to.

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

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

---

Hashtags #AncientDziShop #AntiqueCarneliaDzi #ThreeStripeDzi #StripedCarneliaDzi #TiaoWen #CarneliaDzi #TibetanDziBead #HimalayanBead #BicolourCarnelian #AntiqueBead #DziBead #TibetanJewelry #At122324 #At1223243TS #ProtectiveBead