Modern Reproduction Antique-style Nine Eye Motif Dzi Bead (A1)

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

This bead is vintage, not antique. It was made before 2000 using the traditional dzi crafting technique, with a deliberate antique-style finish, and has since gained more than two decades of genuine age of its own.

It belongs to our family of vintage nine eye beads with the same continuous S-meander design: three open C-ring eyes on each face, joined by an unbroken stepped line around the whole bead. Each has its own particulars.

At 55.8mm × 13.7mm this one sits mid-family in length and on the fuller side in diameter. Its ground is a deep, near-uniform black, closest in tone to V-FA-062026-9E. Both end caps are clean — one a warm honey-gold to amber, the other a deeper rust-orange — each with a round, clear drill opening.

The bead is an elongated barrel with smoothly rounded shoulders. Fine reddish-orange flecks appear within the honey-gold parts of the motif in several photos; this is natural variation in the agate, not cinnabar. The gloss is even on both faces, with no cracks, chips or medicine digs.

If you love the nine eye motif and want a bead with genuine decades of history at a fair price, this is an honest choice. For a centuries-old nine eye, see our antique and ancient collections.

The Nine Eye Motif

The Nine Eye dzi (九眼天珠) is regarded as the most complete of all dzi motifs and is often called the king of dzi. Nine is a number of totality, gathering the protective and fortune-bringing qualities of dzi into one design, traditionally worn to draw good fortune into every area of life.

Specifications

• Motif: Nine Eye (九眼天珠); continuous S-meander with three open C-ring eyes per face
• Length: 55.8mm
• Diameter: 13.7mm
• Form: Elongated barrel with rounded shoulders
• Material: Natural agate; near-uniform black ground; honey-gold to amber-orange lines with cream outlining
• Age: Vintage, made before 2000 using the traditional dzi crafting technique, with an antique-style finish
• Condition: No cracks, chips or medicine digs; drill openings clean and round; even gloss
• Bloodspots: None
• Product ID: V-FA-062026-9EA1
• Collection: Antique-Style Dzi | New and Vintage Dzi

You May Also Like

• Vintage Nine Eye Dzi, Antique-Style Finish (V-FA-062026-9E)
• Vintage Nine Eye Dzi, Antique-Style Finish (V-FA-062026-9E2)
• Vintage Nine Eye Dzi, Antique-Style Finish (V-FA-062026-9EA2)
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, Warm Brown (At-011625-9E)
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, Amber on Dark Agate (At-012325-9E4)
• Ancient Nine Eye Dzi, UV Verified (Ac-032326-9E5)

Further Reading

• Why the Nine Eye Is King of All Dzi Beads
• How to Choose a Dzi Bead: Buying Guide

One family, one design, and a black ground here as deep as the first.