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$At-062926-DD chip detail 1, conchoidal edge fracture, raw carnelian interior exposed at rim, unretouched$

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Ancient Dzi Shop

Deer Motif, 38.2×5.8mm, antique etched carnelian disc (At-062926-DD)

Name: Deer Motif, 38.2×5.8mm, antique etched carnelian disc (At-062926-DD)
Price: 1600.0 USD
Availability: InStock

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

This disc carries a different scene on each face, and the edge between them is where the carnelian's banding is most vivid.

This antique etched carnelian disc measures 38.2mm across and 5.8mm thick — a flat, round form drilled through the edge, with an etched deer motif on both faces. It is a pendant or ornament rather than a barrel bead, thin and light, with the carnelian wrapping continuously from face to face through its banded edge.

The faces are a warm reddish-brown to honey-orange, with natural banding sweeping across in broad diagonals. In some light the upper part takes on a cooler lavender-grey where the stone thins toward chalcedony — natural colour variation, not treatment. The edge (Images 6 and 7) shows the banding at its most dramatic: translucent layers of orange-red, honey-gold, cream-white and deep brown compressed into a richly layered rim.

Face A carries a single deer in a running or leaping pose — long legs, curved body, upswept antlers — drawn in the fine, spare line style of antique Himalayan and Central Asian etched carnelian, closer to a petroglyph than an illustration. Face B carries a livelier scene with at least two deer. The lines on both faces are pale cream-white on the warm carnelian.

Condition note: there are two chips on the edge of the disc, shown close up in Images 4 and 5. At each, the polished surface has broken away to reveal the raw orange carnelian beneath. This damage is fully visible in the photographs and reflected in the price. No cracks.

The Deer Motif

The deer has been a sacred animal across Himalayan, Tibetan and Central Asian traditions for millennia. In Buddhist art, two deer flank the Dharma Wheel, recalling the Buddha's first teaching at Sarnath, when the wheel of the teaching was first set in motion. Deer stand for gentleness, swiftness and spiritual alertness. On etched carnelian the motif also echoes far older Himalayan traditions of carving animals onto stone as protective talismans.

Specifications

Motif: Deer, etched on both faces (single deer on Face A, several on Face B)
Diameter: 38.2mm
Thickness: 5.8mm
Form: Flat disc drilled through the edge
Material: Natural carnelian with richly banded edge
Age: Antique, estimated 300–500 years
Condition: Two edge chips (Images 4 and 5); no cracks
Bloodspots: None
Product ID: At-062926-DD
Collection: Antique Dzi Beads | Carnelian Dzi | Special Items