Triple Vajra Motif, 45.4×11.8mm, dark brown & black agate (V-070526-3VjBS)

Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed without digital retouching: what you see is exactly what you receive.

Three vajras run the length of this bead, but they don't all show themselves from the same angle. Turn it ninety degrees and the prongs that read as wing-arms on the front become vertical posts; the diamond-lattice centre bars that anchor each dorje move in and out of view as the bead turns, so the motif is never fully revealed until it has made a complete rotation in the hand.

This is a vintage Taiwan dzi bead from the 1980s, crafted from natural agate using the traditional dzi crafting technique. The motif is a triple vajra: three dorje (thunderbolt) forms in sequence along the bead, each with the characteristic diamond centre bar and flanking prongs of the Vajrayana ritual sceptre. The white motif lines are confident and well-defined, holding crisp contrast against a two-tone ground: warm dark brown across the sides and ends, deepening to pitch-black through the central body.

At 45.4×11.8mm, this is a well-proportioned barrel with a slight asymmetry at the drill ends typical of hand production. The warm grey-beige end caps show the natural agate. A fine, shallow surface scratch is present on one face, visible in the photos and disclosed here; it does not affect the integrity of the bead.

The macro photographs show the bloodspots clearly: warm reddish-orange to brick-red natural cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā) along the edges of the white motif lines and within the vajra bodies, denser where the prongs meet the central bar. Collectors treasure these natural inclusions for their beauty and auspicious red. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

The Triple Vajra Motif

The vajra, dorje in Tibetan, is the defining symbol of the Vajrayana tradition: indestructible, adamantine, the embodiment of awakened wisdom and the capacity to cut through delusion at its root. A triple vajra extends that force across past, present, and future, or across the three realms of existence. To wear a triple vajra dzi is understood as an invitation for that indestructible energy to accompany the wearer through all conditions of life. Read more in Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations.

Specifications

• Motif: Triple Vajra (Triple Dorje)
• Length: 45.4mm
• Diameter: 11.8mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate
• Age estimate: Vintage, crafted in Taiwan in the 1980s using the traditional technique
• Condition: Good; shallow surface scratch on one face, disclosed; no cracks visible
• Bloodspots: Prominent; reddish-orange to brick-red natural cinnabar along the motif edges and within the vajra bodies
• Product ID: V-070526-3VjBS
• Collections: New & Vintage Dzi | Taiwan Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

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• Antique Triple Vajra Dzi with Bloodspots
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From the blog

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

This bead is offered as found: photographed honestly, described completely.

All photos are unretouched. Natural lighting. No filters applied.