Double Longevity Motif Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 34.8×12.4mm, Two-Tone Agate (V-090924-DLBS)

Every piece hand-inspected and accurately described. All photos below are unretouched, taken against a plain white background to show this bead's true colour and condition.

This bead looks darker on one face than the other, and on the face where the cream dominates, the dark zones have pulled back to irregular islands floating in white.

This is a vintage Taiwan dzi, crafted in the 1980s from high-quality natural agate using the traditional dzi crafting technique. The ground is two-zone: the drilled tips carry a warm brown tone, moving to pitch-black through the main body, as the end shots show. The Double Longevity motif creates large, irregular cream cells across the surface, giving this bead an unusually high proportion of cream to dark. On one face the cream and dark zones balance almost evenly in the tortoise shell pattern; turn the bead and the cream field widens, with the dark zones receding into enclosed shapes within it.

The surface is smooth and well polished, with the consistent high gloss of quality 1980s Taiwan work. The drill channel is clean at both ends, with warm brown stone visible at each tip. No cracks or chips are visible in any of the photos.

Bloodspots

The macro photographs show natural cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā) inclusions clearly throughout this bead: fine orange-rust micro-dots scattered evenly across the cream motif zones rather than clustered at any one point. Under magnification they give the white zones a warm, subtly speckled character not apparent at normal viewing distance. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

The Double Longevity Motif

The Longevity or Tortoise Shell motif is one of the most recognisable patterns in the dzi tradition, associated with health, long life, and the blessings that come with both. The tortoise has long been a symbol of endurance and vitality in Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist culture. The double composition means both main faces carry the full motif, each reading slightly differently. Read more in Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations.

Specifications

• Motif: Double Longevity (Tortoise Shell)
• Length: 34.8mm
• Diameter: 12.4mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate
• Age estimate: Vintage, crafted in Taiwan in the 1980s using the traditional technique
• Condition: Excellent; no cracks or chips visible
• Bloodspots: Prominent; natural cinnabar micro-dots throughout the cream zones
• Product ID: V-090924-DLBS
• Collections: Taiwan Dzi | New & Vintage Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

Companion vintage bloodspot dzi

• Vintage Double Longevity Dzi with Bloodspots (II)
• Vintage Double Longevity Dzi with Bloodspots (III)
• Vintage Six Eye Dzi with Bloodspots
• Vintage Garuda Dzi with Bloodspots

From the blog

• Taiwan Dzi Beads: The Vintage 1980s Guide
• Bloodspots in Dzi Beads

A vintage Double Longevity with a high proportion of cream, a two-zone ground, and natural cinnabar running through every cream zone.

All photos are unretouched. White-background shots show true colour; macro shots show the bloodspots at close range.