he dZi bead is one of the most mysterious of all the beads known to us today. It is unclear as to its exact origin, time of manufacture, or even how long they have been an important part of Tibetan culture. What is known is that these shiny stone beads patterned with mystical eyes and stripes are now of the most treasured beads in the world. It is fitting that the meaning of the word "dZi" in Tibetan is "shine, brightness, clearness, splendor.

The land they are associated with, Tibet, is a mystical land in itself. It and the surrounding Himalayan countries of Nepal, Ladakh, Sikkim, and Bhutan,  are all within Central Asia, which has been a cultural and trade center off and on for millennia. Jewelry has always been of great significance in this area. It was used as a way to show status, and also had great religious significance.  Even the poorest families had some type of bead for amuletic purposes.

The rugged terrain contributed to a feeling that the evils in their life were caused by malevolent spirits in the environment. The jewelry acted as protection against this. Certain beads had different types of protections for their wearer,  and also prayer boxes of ornately crafted metals were fashioned to be worn on necklaces of these beads. Turquoise and coral were both thought to have  significant protective powers . Not only were these beads placed on jewelry, but on statues of religious figures as well. It was thought that this would add to the talismanic power of the statues. The beads themselves were elemental in color: red coral as blood, fire and light, turquoise beads as water, sky and air, and amber to represent earth.

The jewelry of Tibetans is often monumental in scale, to express the rank of  its owner and also be sturdy enough to survive life on the road. It is characterized by decorative surface designs, bold handling of precious and  semiprecious stones, and a liberal use of the coral, amber and turquoise beads  discussed above. Tibetan beads are simple and well proportioned. Their colorful nature and elaborate designs are reminiscent of the designs found in India and  China. The necklaces themselves have their worth determined not by the actual value of the precious and semiprecious stones on them (since many times these  are glass stimulants of the actual stones anyway) but by the intensity of the  colors, the weight of the charm boxes, the size of the coral, and the dZi beads  present. Worth was decided by how well the necklace looked.

dZi have not only been added to necklaces, but have been known to be plaited into the hair of Tibetan women. In early Tibetan literature there is also mention made of a box that was studded with dZi beads, although there is no physical evidence of this.

Although this area is now a primarily  Buddhist area, it is believed that the dZi beads are from the era when there was an animist religion called the "Bon" faith. This is due to the strange  patterning on the beads which is suggestive of the shamanism and sorcery present  in that religion. It is hard to tell anything for certain about dZi beads  because Tibetan culture prevents any archaeological expeditions in their land.  It is known, however, that they are revered for their amuletic powers. There is much myth surrounding the origin of the dZi in Tibetan culture.

The dZi bead is part of a "family" of beads known as etched beads. This  ancient process of decorating chalcedony (a kind of quartz) with a chemical  treatment that changes the surface composition seems to have arisen in the Indus Valley Civilization and later moved into Iran in Sassanian Times.

Identifying a dZi as a "pure" dZi, or one that Tibetans would consider as  truly a specimen of this type, is not always an easy task. For one thing,  depending on the region of Tibet that you are in, the specifications will change  as to what constitutes pure dZi. However, in general it can be said that a dZi  is an etched agate or chalcedony bead that has the universally recognized patterns: eyes, a circle and a square, double wave forms, and certain stripes  and waves. The most desired of these are those with eyes, especially the nine-eyed dZi (which lends more credence that these beads are from the time of  the Bon faith, as nine was an important number in that religion whereas it is  not important in the Buddhist religion). Also these beads are tubular, generally  1-2 inches long, though there have been

cases of longer ones, must contain the  shine associated with good dZi, and be in relatively good shape.

One interesting type that does not represent the typical dZi at all, but is considered in their family is the "luk me" dZi, or "sheep's eye". This is a tabular bead with circles representing eyes or moons on either or both sides. It protects the owner from the "evil eye".

The dZi, particularly those of sought after patterns, command high prices and  are very difficult to come by. Most Tibetans will not let go of a dZi once they  have it because it provides them with protection, and may cause bad luck if they were to get rid of it. Also, the great antiquity of these beads, and the inability to excavate mean that these beads are in greater demand than there is  a supply of them.

It is difficult to say much for sure about the dZi, since scholars have been debating about them for years due to the lack of physical evidence. However, it  is simply a pleasure to look upon the beautiful jewelry of the Tibetans (and surrounding Himalayan countries) and see the mystical bead that carries so much  power and history behind it

     DZi is a type of bead known as an etched agate or chalcedony bead. Etching is actually a misnomer for the process, since instead of digging into the  surface of the stone, chemical treatments are used to create the patterns.

First the surface of the bead is painted on with an alkali substance and fired. This permanently whitens the area of the bead covered with the chemical down through the surface. These whitened areas are distinctly raised on some  specimens. Also, another chemical could be painted onto either the plain surface  of the stone or the previously whitened area and then fired in order to make  dark patterns upon the bead.

Beck, a researcher into these beads, in particular another form of chalcedony  called carnelian, devised a classification system for the different types of beads that could be made from a mixture of these two processes:

The type that comes closest to describing the greatest number of dZi beads is  the variety B, in which a dark design is painted separately from a whitened  background. dZi beads also have different surface characteristics than other etched beads in that they have an extremely glossy surface, and there is no evidence of alkali residue. This may be because they have had a slightly different manufacturing process.

The etched chalcedony beads have been manufactured since very early. The earliest believed date for these beads is in the 2700 B.C.. where they have mainly been found at Mesopotamian and Indus Civilization sites of Lothal and Chanhu Daro. Another period of manufacture for these beads is from 550 B.C. to  200 A.D. where they were found mainly at Indian Subcontinent sites. There was a final period of manufacture from 224 to 643 A.D. which was based in Iran during  Sassanian times. The art did not die out at the end of this time, as etched products (though not necessarily beads) were being produced into the twentieth  century. The exact method of manufacture for the beads is still unknown.

Tibetans believe that the dZi are precious jewels of supernatural origin. There  are many different stories and beliefs surrounding the dZi, all describing their existence as non-manmade artifacts.

Their origin is said to be from ancient times when semi-gods wore them as  ornaments. Whenever the dZi became blemished slightly, they were thrown to the earth. This might be an attempt to explain why the beads are never found in  perfect condition. Once they fell to earth, they manifested as insects. There  are several stories regarding the dZi as insects.

The stories discuss how the dZi were once insects that moved like worms in the earth, but had become petrified, usually by the touch of human hand. One  story involves a man who saw one these insects high in the mountains and threw  his hat over it to capture it. When he removed the hat, the insect had become  petrified and in its place lay a dZi. Another set of the insect stories relate  that they were encountered in the high mountains by someone with especially good  karma who managed to catch them. But in coming into contact with the defilement  of human touch they had become petrified. Sometimes these insect dZi are found  in cattle dung or the horns of slaughtered animals. This insect theory is  widespread and is often cited to explain why a great number of dZi are often  found at once, forming a kind of "nest". Some believe that even after the beads  have been unearthed they will continue to move for a little while.

One legend from Ngari, Western Tibet says  that the dZi originated from a mountain near Rudok. In ancient times they were  said to flow down its slopes like streams. One day a wicked woman cast the evil  eye upon the mountain and the flow immediately stopped. To this day, the  characteristic black and white stripes of the dZi are seen from where they once  issued.

A recent story that has circulated about the dZi, which has become a kind of "urban legend": there was a car accident in Taipei, Taiwan, and all of the people were killed except for the wearer of a dZi bead. This story has since escalated into a bus accident, and then a plane crash.

All of these stories confirm the beliefs that the dZi are magical, and will  protect the wearer from harm , both from sickness and from evil spirits. The dZi  are even considered to be of medicinal value. Traditional medicine in Tibet for  epilepsy includes grinding up a previously unbroken dZi to mix with other  magical substances to make a pill for the sufferer. An unbroken dZi is used for this because it is believed that once a dZi is broken, its power has been used up for the protective purposes it was meant to serve. The wearer has already been saved from attack at this time.

A great many questions remain about the dZi such as how exactly they were  manufactured, what their place was in Tibetan society before recently, where they actually originated from, and when they were first made. These questions  have been the subject of debate between bead scholars for years now. Archaeological information has shed some light on the situation, but not in the  actual are of Tibet due to the cultural restrictions on excavations there. All evidence thus far that directly relates to these questions must be done circuitously through research on other areas and literature of the region.

Most people agree that these beads are from  ancient times, and are at least from the area around Tibet, if not Tibet itself.  One puzzling fact has been that until recently (the twentieth century), it seems as though dZi have not been the important cultural phenomenon that they are  evidenced to be now, despite the vast body of legend and mysticism associated  with them. In a book that the dalai lama's brother wrote about Tibetan culture, which included many illustrations and discussion of the jewelry, dZi were not  mentioned. Even though they were depicted in some of the illustrations!

There is also some controversy about whether references in early literature  that have been used as evidence for the early relevance of dZi has not been misinterpreted. Some of the descriptions that previously have been discussed as  describing dZi are being reexamined.

These issues may never be clarified. However as long as there are dZi, there will be people who will attempt to find the truth out about them.

We wish to thank Shana Rosenberg who allowed us to reprint this great article. If you liked this article or simply have any questions regarding the article,  please contact Shana direct at

shanarosenberg@hotmail.com