Vintage 1980s Taiwan Chalcedony Dzi Bead — Tiger Tooth & Lotus with Bloodspot 29.4 mm (N-B-101426-TTL)

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

This bead measures 29.4mm along its length and 11.2mm at its widest, a short, wide barrel with a compact presence. The material is chalcedony, crafted in Taiwan in the 1980s using the traditional dzi crafting technique, and its surface reflects that: a high, smooth, even gloss across the whole barrel, brighter and more uniform than the settled surface of much older agate. In direct light the chalcedony has depth and warmth; the ground is a dark warm brown, clearly brown rather than black, its warmth showing as the bead turns.

The motif is tiger tooth and lotus, in cream-white on the dark brown ground. The tiger tooth appears as repeating fang or claw shapes, pointed and slightly curved, projecting from band lines along the barrel with a directional rhythm. The lotus adds rounder, petal-like forms between and around the teeth, softening their angularity and creating an interplay between the pointed and the rounded. The motif covers the whole barrel and reads clearly from every angle, with strong contrast between cream and dark ground.

The bead carries bloodspots. In the photographs, especially the macro close-up (Image 6), they appear as fine dark speckling across both the cream and dark zones. In natural light, however, they are red: the warm red of natural cinnabar within the chalcedony. Macro photography compresses tones and can push reddish-brown minerals toward near-black, and this bead shows that clearly; held in the hand, the spots are distinctly red. The angled end view (Image 5) shows the warm amber tip, where the bloodspots read more clearly. They are spread across the surface rather than concentrated in one area. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

Both drill holes are functional and centred. The tip in Image 4 is a cooler grey chalcedony; the tip in Image 5 a warmer amber, a natural variation in the stone.

The Tiger Tooth and Lotus Motif

The tiger tooth draws on the protective symbolism of the tiger's strength, its fang and claw forms associated with courage, power, and warding off negative forces. The lotus brings a complementary meaning: in Buddhist art it represents purity, spiritual unfolding, and enlightenment, rising from the water unstained. Together they unite protective strength and spiritual aspiration. Read more in Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations.

Specifications

• Motif: Tiger Tooth and Lotus; cream-white fang and claw forms alternating with curved petal elements on a dark warm brown ground
• Length: 29.4mm
• Diameter: 11.2mm
• Form: Short barrel
• Material: Natural chalcedony; dark warm brown ground; cream-white motif
• Bloodspots: Yes; fine red natural cinnabar speckling across the surface (appears darker in the macro photo than in natural light)
• Age estimate: Vintage, crafted in Taiwan in the 1980s using the traditional technique
• Condition: Good. Motif intact. Both drill holes functional.
• Product ID: N-B-101426-TTL
• Collections: Taiwan Dzi | New & Vintage Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

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From the blog

• Taiwan Dzi Beads: The Vintage 1980s Guide
• How to Tell Real vs. Fake Dzi Beads

Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed unretouched and described exactly as found.

Photos: six unretouched images: three white-background views of the motif and glossy surface, two angled end views (grey tip in Image 4, warm amber tip in Image 5), and one macro (Image 6) of the bloodspots, which photograph darker than they appear in natural light.