Antique Heaven & Earth Dzi, 48.4×11.9mm, very deep dark brown agate, 200–400 years (At-071326-HE)

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

The connector faces on this bead do not form an X. They form a pair of arcs, one above and one below, curving toward each other across a dark centre without meeting.

Image 2 shows one connector face: a cream arc in the upper zone, another below it, both curving inward with a deep dark ground between them. The composition has an organic, almost parenthetical quality, more flowing than the angular X-crossing seen on Taiwan heaven and earth dzi. Image 4 shows the opposite connector face, where the composition shifts again: the upper element becomes more of a bracket and the lower arc more open. The two connector faces read differently, and both differ from the static symmetry of a standard X.

Image 1 shows the primary face: a large, well-formed oval enclosed by a cream band, centred between two vertical cream stripe bars. The ground is very deep dark brown, brown rather than black, and the flat-lit images show the warmth in the dark zones that true pitch-black would not have. Image 3 shows the opposite primary face, where the same oval reads as more angular and trapezoidal as the curve of the barrel changes its visible shape. The cream zones on this face carry the most pronounced honey warmth in the patina.

Images 5 and 6 show the two drill-hole ends. Both holes are small, clean and centred in warm brown-grey end caps. One end has a slightly sharper taper and the other is slightly more rounded. Both hold the drill hole cleanly without damage.

The cream zones throughout carry the fine granular surface texture of aged agate, the settled, matte quality that comes with long age and handling and is usually absent from newly made dzi.

The Heaven and Earth Motif

The heaven and earth dzi (天地珠) carries one of the most fundamental relationships in Tibetan cosmology: the axis between the celestial and earthly realms, the point where what is above meets what is below. The enclosed oval represents that meeting. Worn for harmony, balance and stability, it is among the most widely recognised dzi motifs in Tibetan, Himalayan and Chinese collecting traditions. Read more in our heaven and earth dzi guide.

Specifications

• Motif: Heaven and Earth; elongated oval on the primary faces, double-arc connector on face B, bracket and arc connector on face D, flanking cream stripe bars
• Length: 48.4mm
• Diameter: 11.9mm
• Form: Fusiform barrel; one end slightly sharper in taper than the other
• Material: Agate; very deep dark brown ground, warm honey-cream motif, warm brown-grey end caps
• Age: Antique, estimated 200–400 years
• Condition: Good; no cracks or chips; fine granular surface texture on the cream zones
• Bloodspots: None
• Product ID: At-071326-HE
• Collection: Antique Dzi | All Products

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• Antique Heaven and Earth Dzi with Bloodspots, Pitch-Black Agate (At-062126-HEBS)
• Ancient Double Heaven and Earth Dzi, Pitch-Black (Ac-052523-DHE)
• Vintage Heaven and Earth Dzi, 1980s Taiwan, Warm Dark Brown (V-071126-HE)
• Vintage Heaven and Earth Dzi, 1980s Taiwan, Deep Dark Brown-Black (V-071326-HE)

Further Reading

• Heaven and Earth Dzi Bead: Meaning and How to Choose
• Real vs Fake Dzi Beads
• Tibetan Dzi Beads for Luck and Fortune

A quiet, balanced bead that has carried its meaning across many generations.