Antique Four Eye Dzi, 47.5mm × 13.6mm, pitch-black & bright white, cinnabar bloodspots (At-042626-4E3)

📷 We never retouch our photos. Every bead is photographed exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.

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The rust-orange dots visible in the macro photographs are not surface debris — they are individual cinnabar inclusions, and there are hundreds of them.

Every four-eye dzi in this collection presents differently. At-012325-4E carries a warm honey-orange motif on deep dark brown. At-060126-4E2 reads as two-tone terracotta-orange and dark-brown, with open C-ring eyes. At-042626-4E3 is the opposite of both: a pitch-black ground, bright white motif lines, fully closed square-framed eyes — and a bloodspot field that only reveals itself under close inspection. The colour contrast on this bead is absolute. There is no warmth in the ground, no softness in the white. What the macro photographs then show is that this apparent austerity is inhabited: the white zones carry hundreds of discrete rust-orange cinnabar dots, scattered like a fine spatter across the eye rings and connector fields.

Face A presents two eyes side by side, each set within a square-cornered frame, separated by a vertical white dividing stripe. The eye construction is consistent across both: bright white outer ring, warm brown-black pupil at centre. Horizontal banding lines run top and bottom of the face, containing the composition. Face B mirrors this layout exactly — the same square frames, the same pupil structure, the same horizontal containment lines. The bilateral symmetry is precise. The connector faces (visible in Images 3 and 5) carry the nine-eye-style stepped labyrinthine white line structure that is characteristic of full-count eye dzi of this period — interlocking, maze-like, reading as architecture rather than decoration.

The body form is a well-proportioned elongated barrel at 47.5mm length and 13.6mm diameter. The surface is glossy, confirming good preservation and consistent handling over its estimated 200–300 year life. End caps are warm sandy-tan — notably lighter and warmer than the pitch-black body, providing a natural visual bracket at each terminus. The drill hole is centred and clean at both ends, visible in Images 6 and 7.

The bloodspot evidence is documented in the two macro photographs. Image 8 shows the square-framed eye zone at high magnification: the bright white field is populated with discrete rust-orange to warm brown cinnabar (硃砂/zhūshā) micro-dots distributed evenly across the entire white surface. Image 9 isolates a single eye: the dot distribution continues uniformly across the white ring zone surrounding the pupil. This is a pervasive micro-dot constellation type — not boundary pooling, not linear banding, not a concentrated mass, but an even field of individual inclusions throughout the white zones. Cinnabar is mercuric sulfide (HgS), a naturally occurring mineral that forms within agate over geological time. Its presence, distributed at this density and in this pattern, is among the most reliable physical markers of authentic antique dzi.

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The Four Eye (四眼/Sì Yǎn) Motif

The four-eye dzi is one of the most significant configurations in Tibetan dzi tradition. Four eyes correspond to the Four Immeasurables of Buddhist practice — loving-kindness (慈/cí), compassion (悲/bēi), empathetic joy (喜/xǐ), and equanimity (捨/shě). Together they represent the complete attitudinal framework for compassionate engagement with all beings. In Tibetan belief, wearing a four-eye dzi supports the cultivation of all four qualities simultaneously, making it among the most holistically protective of the eye-count beads. The four-eye configuration also aligns with the four cardinal directions, associating the bead with spatial completeness and orientation.

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Spec Block

Motif: Four Eye (四眼/Sì Yǎn); two eyes per face, square-framed, on opposite faces Length: 47.5mm Diameter: 13.6mm Form: Elongated barrel, glossy surface, well-proportioned Material: Pitch-black agate ground; bright white motif lines and eye rings; warm sandy-tan end caps Age Estimate: 200–300 years Condition: No cracks; natural weathering marks consistent with age; glossy surface intact; no medicine digs Bloodspots: Yes — pervasive rust-orange to warm brown cinnabar (硃砂/zhūshā) micro-dot constellation distributed across white zones; macro-confirmed in Images 8 and 9; discrete individual dots, even field distribution Product ID: At-042626-4E3 Collection: Antique Dzi Collection | Ancient Four Eye Motif Dzi Bead Extremely Old

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Related Four Eye & Multi-Eye Dzi

The four-eye motif pairs beautifully with other protective eye configurations. Explore antique examples and variant forms below.

Ancient

Ancient dzi exhibit the deepest aging, heaviest patina, and most complex motif systems, making them the gold standard for collectors and serious practitioners.

• Ac-080425-4E — Ancient Four Eye Dzi, Square-Framed Eyes, 49.5×12.6mm, Deep Dark Warm Brown, S-Curve Connector Face, $16000.00
• Ac-070926-9E — Ancient Nine Eye Motif, 54.0×14.5mm, cream-white agate, 800 years, $12000.00
• Ac-071026-8E — Ancient Eight Eye Dzi Bead, 51.3×13.0mm, warm grey-brown agate, 500–700 years, $5000.00

Antique

Antique four-eye and related multi-eye configurations from 200–500 years ago, featuring square-framed, diamond-framed, and variant eye structures with rich bloodspot fields.

• At-090626-4EDC — Antique Four Eye & Dharma Conch Dzi, 45.6×13.3mm, Warm Brown Agate, $3000.00
• At-082525-4ETT — Antique Four Eye & Tiger Tooth Tibetan Dzi Bead, 46.4mm × 11.5mm, $800.00
• At-060126-4E2 — Antique Four Eye Dzi, open C-ring eyes, two-tone terracotta-orange & dark-brown, 57.1mm × 14.4mm, $1200.00
• At-080226-8E2 — Eight Eye Motif, 53.4×12.6mm, Deep Warm Dark Brown Agate, $1500.00
• At-090326-9E2 — Nine Eye Motif, 54.9×12.6mm, dark brown and cream agate, $800.00
• At-071326-9E — Antique Nine Eye Dzi, 54.8×12.5mm, warm dark brown agate, 200–400 years, $800.00
• At-092724-2EBS — Antique Two Eye Dzi Bead with Extreme Bloodspot Saturation, 41.0mm × 13.0mm, $1200.00

New & Vintage

Contemporary and 1980s Taiwan-made dzi in four-eye and related configurations, offering accessible entry points to the four-eye tradition.

• N-090225-4E2 — New Four Eye Motif, 40.2×11.0mm, dark brown and pitch-black agate, $500.00
• N-082825-4E — New Four Eye Motif, 40.1×11.4mm, dark brown and pitch-black agate, $500.00
• N-083126-4EV — New Four Eye Variant Motif, 57.7×13.5mm, Warm Brown Agate, $350.00
• N-062426-4E — Four Eye Motif Dzi Bead, 58.5×13.9mm, Medium-Dark Warm Brown, $200.00
• N-090626-5E2 — New Five Eye Dzi Bead, 59.6×12.7mm, Pitch-Black, Honey Agate Ends, $350.00
• V-070226-4E2 — Vintage Four Eye Motif Dzi Bead, 53.9×11.6mm, Black Agate, $600.00

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Blog Links

• What Are Dzi Beads? History, Meaning & Authentication

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Pitch-black, bright white, and a bloodspot field the naked eye almost misses — At-042626-4E3 is a four-eye dzi that earns its age quietly.

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

📷 We never retouch our photos. Every bead is photographed exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.

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