Nine Eye Motif with Bloodspots, 48.8×12.1mm, Dark Brown Agate (At-071426-9EBS2)

🪨 Genuine agate. Unretouched photos. What you see is what ships.

The cream zones on this bead are not cream — under macro, they resolve into dense fields of reddish-orange pinpoint dots, so heavily concentrated that the white of the eye rings and connector bands has been almost entirely displaced by colour.

This antique nine eye dzi carries what the macro photographs document as extreme cinnabar saturation across the cream zones of the motif. The nine eyes are arranged in the standard grid — three pairs of eyes on each main face, upper and lower registers, connected by vertical lines — and the bloodspot inclusions are present throughout: in the eye rings, in the connector bands, and at the boundary zones where cream meets the dark ground. Three macro photographs are included in this listing. They show individually visible reddish-orange pinpoint dots distributed across every cream zone in the field of view, with the densest concentration within the eye rings themselves. The colour is consistent with cinnabar (硃砂, zhusha — mercuric sulfide), the iron-red mineral found in some antique dzi beads as a marker of age, use, and accumulated blessing.

The ground is very dark brown through the main body, deepening to pitch-black in the zones between the eyes where the dark field is at its fullest extent — confirmed from the flat-lit white-background photographs. The motif lines are cream-white where the bloodspot concentration is lightest, warming to reddish-orange where the cinnabar density is highest. Both end caps carry a warm reddish-brown tone — a characteristic of this piece's agate coloration at the drill zones — with small, clean drill openings consistent with antique production.

The bead is a standard fusiform barrel at 48.8×12.1mm. The surface carries age-consistent texture across the dark zones — fine micro-pitting visible in the macro shots, consistent with three to five centuries of surface character development. No chips or cracks observed from available photos.

The Nine Eye Motif

Nine is among the most auspicious numbers in Tibetan cosmology — the number of completion, of the nine levels of consciousness, and of the nine planets whose influences the dzi tradition holds in balance. The nine eye dzi is associated with the accumulation of merit across all nine realms, with protection from the full range of negative planetary influences, and with the attainment of wisdom and good fortune at the highest level. Among collectors and practitioners, the nine eye is one of the most sought-after dzi motifs, and a nine eye with documented bloodspot inclusions is considered to carry an additional layer of accumulated potency.

Bloodspots — Cinnabar Inclusions

Bloodspots on dzi beads are inclusions of cinnabar (硃砂, zhusha — mercuric sulfide), a reddish-orange mineral that forms within the agate over centuries. Their presence is considered a marker of age, authenticity, and accumulated blessing in the Tibetan tradition. On this bead the cinnabar inclusions are extreme — pervasive across the cream zones of every visible eye ring and connector band, documented in three macro photographs. Distribution: cream-zone focused with pervasive saturation concentrated in the eye rings and connector bands, extending to the cream-to-dark boundary zones throughout the bead.

Spec Block

Motif: Nine Eye
Length: 48.8mm
Diameter: 12.1mm
Form: Barrel
Material: Agate (warm reddish-brown end cap coloration consistent with agate-internal colour at drill zones — see end-angle photos)
Age Estimate: Antique — 300–500 years
Condition: Good — age-consistent micro-surface texture; no chips or cracks observed from available photos
Bloodspots: Tier 3 — extreme cinnabar (硃砂, zhusha) saturation across all cream zones; reddish-orange pinpoint dots pervasive throughout eye rings and connector bands, with boundary-zone extension; documented in three macro photographs
Product ID: At-071426-9EBS2
Collection: Antique Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

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Nine Eye Dzi Beads in the Collection

Ancient (500+ years)

Ancient nine eye dzi beads represent the highest tier of rarity and accumulated blessing. The two examples below carry the depth of age and the subtle surface character that develops across centuries of wear and meditation practice.

• Ancient Nine Eye Dzi Bead, 53.8×12.5mm, Dark Brown Agate, 500–800 Years (Ac-091626-9E) — $8,000.00
• Ancient Nine Eye Motif, 54.0×14.5mm, Cream-White Agate, 800 Years (Ac-070926-9E) — $12,000.00

Antique (100–500 years)

These antique nine eye examples offer the established power and visual depth of the motif across a range of ground colours and surface finishes. Several carry documented bloodspot cinnabar saturation, consistent with the extreme bloodspot tier exemplified by the focal bead.

• Antique Nine Eye Dzi Bead, 54.2×12.4mm, Dark Brown Agate, Medicine Dig Disclosed (At-091626-9E2) — $800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi Bead, 54.6×12.5mm, Dark Brown Agate, 200–400 Years (At-091626-9E) — $800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif, 54.9×12.6mm, Dark Brown and Cream Agate (At-090326-9E2) — $800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, 54.8×12.5mm, Warm Dark Brown Agate, 200–400 Years (At-071326-9E) — $800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif Dzi, 53.3×12.3mm, Deep Dark Brown Agate (At-070626-9E) — $800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif, 59.8×13.7mm, Very Dark Brown Agate, 300–500 Years (At-070826-9E) — $3,500.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi Bead, 60.6×12.9mm, Dark Brown & Honey-Toned Agate, 300–500 Years (At-082326-9E) — $1,700.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif with Bloodspots, 48.8×12.1mm, Dark Brown Agate, Extreme Cinnabar (At-071426-9EBS2) — $3,500.00 [This bead]
• Antique Nine Eye Motif, 77.0×12.8mm, Deep Dark Brown Agate with Bloodspots (At-062926-9EBS) — $5,800.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif Dzi, 39.7×13.8mm, Pitch-Black & Brown Agate (At-070626-9E2) — $1,200.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi Bead, 59.0mm × 13.2mm, Amber Motif on Dark Agate (At-012325-9E4) — $700.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, 57.6×12.7mm, Dark Brown Agate, Asymmetric Tapered Form (At-071126-9E8) — $1,700.00
• Antique Nine Eye Dzi, 54.8×12.6mm, Very Dark Brown Agate, 300–500 Years (At-071126-9E6) — $1,700.00
• Antique Nine Eye Motif Dzi, Rare Qing Dynasty Chinese Dzi (At-0426-9EQ) — $4,500.00

New & Vintage

Contemporary and vintage interpretations of the nine eye motif, including new pieces with bloodspot cinnabar for collectors seeking the motif at accessible price points.

• New Nine Eye Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 60.4×14.5mm, Pitch-Black Agate, Blue-Grey Etching (N-082326-9EBS2) — $250.00
• New Nine Eye Dzi Bead with Bloodspots, 60.0×14.4mm, Pitch-Black Agate (N-082326-9EBS) — $250.00
• New Nine Eye Motif Dzi Bead, 57.7 × 12.9mm, Deep Cool Dark Grey-Black Agate Fusiform (N-062226-9E) — $200.00
• New Nine Eye Motif Dzi Bead, 58.6 × 12.9mm, Medium-Dark Warm Brown Agate, Matte Finish (N-062226-9E3) — $200.00
• New Nine Eye Motif Dzi Bead, 58.2×13.2mm, Two-Tone Brown Agate (N-102123-9E) — $200.00
• Modern Reproduction Antique-style Nine Eye Motif Dzi Bead (A1) — $250.00

For other dzi motifs with similar protective and accumulative power, explore the Antique Dzi collection and the Bloodspot Dzi collection.

Further reading:

• Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations

All photos are unretouched. Colour and surface detail are as photographed.

🪨 Genuine agate. Unretouched photos. What you see is what ships.

📷 8 unretouched product photos included.

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