Guru Rinpoche's Dharma Cap Dzi, 49.8×13.2mm, Pitch-Black Agate (At-090626-GRDC2)

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

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On this bead, the two faces do not show the same scene. One carries scroll-bracket elements flanking a central hexagonal star form — the decorative panels of the cap. The other carries three arched dome forms across the upper register and a broad bordered panel below — the cap's silhouette, reading as a complete outline of the hat itself. The motif only makes full sense when both faces have been seen.

The Guru Rinpoche's Dharma Cap is one of the more compositionally distinctive motifs in the Tibetan dzi tradition. Its design is derived from the lotus-crown hat worn by Padmasambhava — Guru Rinpoche — the eighth-century master who brought Vajrayana Buddhism from India to Tibet. The cap's form appears across both faces of the bead: the decorative surface patterning on one face, the structural silhouette on the other. On this bead, the composition is executed in bold, well-defined cream-white lines against a confirmed pitch-black ground, the motif elements reading clearly at all orientations.

The ground colour is pitch-black through the central body, confirmed across all four white-background lateral photographs. The end caps are warm brown — distinctly warmer and lighter than the body black — forming a clean two-zone transition at each drill end. This two-zone character is visible in the lateral shots and both angled end views. The motif lines are cream-white and intact, with no erosion or degradation. The bead's surface carries a fine texture in the black body zones — age-consistent surface character, not bloodspots. No cinnabar inclusions are present.

At 49.8×13.2mm this is a full-sized antique barrel. Both drill holes are small and clean with no chipping at the rim. No cracks or chips are present anywhere on the bead. Condition is excellent throughout.

A rotating video is included (image 7) documenting all four faces in sequence.

Guru Rinpoche's Dharma Cap Motif

Padmasambhava — Guru Rinpoche — is revered across all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as the Second Buddha, the master who established the Vajrayana teachings in Tibet in the eighth century. His distinctive lotus-crown hat, the Dharma Cap, is one of the most recognised symbols of his identity and is considered an emblem of his enlightened wisdom and spiritual authority. A dzi bead carrying this motif is understood in Tibetan tradition as a vessel for Guru Rinpoche's blessing and protection — a direct invocation of his presence worn on the body. The cap's layered form, with its decorative panels and structural brim, appears on this bead distributed across two faces so that the complete form is only visible through rotation.

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Specifications

Motif: Guru Rinpoche's Dharma Cap — Face A: scroll-bracket elements flanking central hexagonal star form; Face B: dome/arch cap silhouette with bordered lower panel; vertical cream stripe separators; warm brown end cap zones
Length: 49.8mm
Diameter: 13.2mm
Form: Barrel
Material: Natural agate
Age Estimate: Antique — 300–500 years
Condition: Excellent. No cracks, no chips. Clean drill holes at both ends. Fine age-consistent surface texture in black body zones.
Bloodspots: None
Product ID: At-090626-GRDC2
Collections: Antique Dzi · All Products

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Other Guru Rinpoche motif pieces in the collection:

• At-072226-GRS — Antique Guru Rinpoche's Ritual Scepter, 46.2×11.5mm
• At-072226-3EGRP — Antique Three Eye & Guru Rinpoche Paraphernalia, 37.6×12.0mm
• Ac-061926-GRDC — Ancient Guru Rinpoche's Dharma Cap, 43.3×11.8mm

Further reading: Where Do Dzi Beads Come From? Origin, History & Mystery · Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations

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Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed unretouched and described exactly as found. What you see is what you will receive.

Photos: Unretouched images of the exact bead listed. Six product photographs: two white-background lateral views of Face A, two white-background lateral views of Face B, and two angled views showing both drill ends. One rotating video documenting all faces in sequence.

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