Dzi (pronounced Zee) is a Tibetan word to describe a patterned, usually agate of mainly oblong, round, cylindrical or tabular shape pierced lengthwise called Heaven's Bead(tian zhu) in Chinese. The meaning of the word Tibetan "Dzi" translates to "shine, brightness, clearness, splendour". The beads originate in the Tibetan cultural sphere and can command high prices and are difficult to come by. They are found primarily in Tibet, but also in neighbouring Bhutan, Ladakh and Sikkim. Shepherds and farmers pick them up in the grasslands or while cultivating fields. Because dZi are found in the earth, Tibetans cannot conceive of them as man-made. Since knowledge of the bead is derived from oral traditions, few beads have provoked more controversy concerning their source, method of manufacture and even precise definition.

They may have etched symbols composed of circles, ovals, square, waves(zig zags), stripes, lines, diamonds, circles, squares, waves, and stripes and various other natural symbolic patterns. Colours will mainly range from browns to blacks with the pattern usually being in ivory white. Dzi beads can appear in different colours, shapes and sizes.

The most valuable of all beads is thought to be the Nine-Eyed or 13 Eyed Dzi. Generally beads that have 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 eyes are the most sought after. Next most popular are Dzis that have unusual patterns, inclusions and colours, followed by beads that have an even number of eyes.

Other classes of dzi include untreated natural banded agates of usually of a reddish or brownish colour.

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.

The "etching" of beads is a misnomer, because alkalis, not acid is involved in their decoration. They are distinctive and much has been written about them. The two most important works are Etched Carnelian Beads by Horace Beck (1933) and Etched Beads in India by M.G. Dikshit (1949).

Beck divided these beads into three periods. His Early Period (before 2000 BC) corresponds to the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilization, now dated to ca. 2600-1700 BC. This tabular etched bead was obtained in Egypt. Stylistically, it m

His Middle Period (300 BC to AD 200) corresponds to what Indians call the Early Historic Period, now put at something more like 500 BC to AD 500. These are typical designs from that period.atches these old beads, but there is no way of knowing how old it is.

His Late Period (500 to 1000 AD) is now understood to have been mostly the work of Persians, rather than Indians. The Indian industry survived, but few etched beads are found in India, being found in modern Iran and westward, traded into the Middle East and Russia.

The design on the bead on the right is a well -known motif of the Persian Sasanian (2nd to 7th century AD) dynasty.

 

Beck also recorded two types of etched beads. Type One has white lines on the red stone, as do the beads above. Type Two has black lines on a white bead as at left.

In some cases the original stone may have been white, as with this bead. The broken end shows that the stone was white (whether the bead above was or not, is hard to say).

However, in most cases, Type Two beads are made from carnelians that have first been whitened all over and then had the black lines added. The broken side of this Persian bead shows that clearly.

Dikshit also designed a Type Three, which has black lines drawn directly on the red carnelian. These are extremely rare. He also noted two varieties of black on top of white figures and the two colors side by side. These are also very rare.

What should be regarded as a variety has white lines on a darkened bead. These are usually considered to be "black agate," but all that I could examine are artificially darkened gray chalcedony (like this one) or carnelian.

What should be regarded as a variety has white lines on a darkened bead. These are usually considered to be "black agate," but all that I could examine are artificially darkened gray chalcedony (like this one) or carnelian.

There are also varieties not considered in these schemes. The Harappan Civilization experimented with different combinations. This is a small gray jasper bead that has been etched. Probably Persian.

The last known Indian to etch carnelians was Saheb Dino of Sehwan (now in Pakistan). He was interviewed in 1930 by Ernest Mackay (1933) and said that he had not done the work for 55 years. He did not make beads, but plaques with passages from the Qor'an.

Here we learned how the process was done. The bead or plaque was fixed in a clay mold tempered with cotton. When it was dried some soda (potassium can also be used) mixed with the juice of the Kirar plant (related to capers) was painted on the stone. (The plant juice had no chemical effect; it only made the mixture opaque so that it could be seen.) The stone was then put into the embers of a charcoal fire for five minutes, then removed and cleaned.

Beck (1933:384-385; 1934:193) determined that the alkali penetrated the surface of the bead/plaque and spread out just under it. The indelible white line is usually quite smooth to the touch. The black lines seem most likely to have been done with copper (Beck 1933: 385).

Persians continued to make etched beads in the Early Islamic Period. There are a number at Nishapur, Iran (founded by the Sasanians and destroyed in 1221). Later they switched to plaques with Qor'anic verses. They were still being made in the 1930s. A knowledgeable dealer in the late 1970s told me the work had stopped about 50 years before.

Plaques that resemble them now are actually etched. The designs are cut into the stone with acid and filled in with white paint or something similar.

The origin of 'old' or 'authentic' dzi beads is unknown. However there are several theories that exist in Tibetan popular culture to explain their origins, such as that they are of non-human origin, for example made by the gods. As such, dzi beads are endowed with talismanic properties. In recent years their monetary value has increased radically, with authentic beads regularly valued at several thousand dollars apiece.

The lesser quality Dzi called Chung that are prized and collected in the Himalayas. Chung dZi (lesser quality dZi) and decorated carnelians that exhibit a white surface residue differ from pure dZi and better quality chung dZi examples where the colour has gone into, rather than onto the bead. In Tibet and the surrounding Himalayan countries of Nepal, Ladakh, Sikkim, and Bhutan—all within Central Asia, jewelry has always been of great significance. 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. 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 jewellery 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.

Tibetan beads are simple and well porportioned. Their colourful 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 semi-precious stones on them (since many times these are glass simulants 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. 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.

The Dzi is 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.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.

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.

The Dzi is a type of bead known as an etched agate or chalcedony bead. The surface of the bead is first 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.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 Lothaland 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. (SOURCE?)

The exact method of manufacture for the beads is still unknown. 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.(SOURCE?) It is generally accepted that mixtures of metal salts and alkalines were painted on the beads to change their colour; then heat was used to further change the bead. Within the last fifteen to twenty years, the so-called 'lost' process of manufacture (involving the etching or carving of beads, the use of a chemical agent such as a carbonate, and the firing of the agate bead) has been widely ressurected leading to a host of forgeries, or so-called 'new' dzi beads.

"An Indian glass imitation. The blue colour is a dead give-away. The white was added by putting powdered white glass in a mold and rolling the hot blue base over it, picking up the white. It is known as "powder-glass decoration." http://www.thebeadsite.com/bmms-etq.htm

"A really bad imitation. Apparently blackened bone. The lines were cut into the body and then filled with white paint or some such substance." http://www.thebeadsite.com/bmms-etq.htm

• Use of radiological dating to accertain date of specimens
• SEM studies of surface structure may provide further understanding of surface treatment and production of dZis
• LA-ICP-MS, SIMS to deduce treatment agents(etchants).
• Dr. Jack Ogden suggested thermoluminescence dating to detect when specimens were last heated; (but wouldn't work with translucent stones or where the heat needed to
  sample deep inside the stone caused too much localised heat)

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