Men's Prayer Beads, Indian Bodhi Seed & Compressed Amber, Shingon Sect, Limited Edition

Men's Prayer Beads, Indian Bodhi Seed & Compressed Amber, Shingon Sect, Limited Edition

Among the many varieties of bodhi seed used in prayer beads – starry moon, dragon-eye, phoenix-eye, and others – Indian bodhi seed is often called the king of bodhi seeds, a genuinely rare material found only at high altitude and never available in large quantity. Indian bodhi seed is technically a nut, notably hard yet with the gentle, organic feel characteristic of nut shells when held; we're only able to offer it when stock happens to arrive. Here, the top bead, parent bead, and drop bead are made of compressed amber, created by hardening small fragments of natural amber into larger beads – a technique that allows amber's warm, glowing color, sometimes called the 'stone of the sun,' to be enjoyed at a more accessible price. This piece follows the formal Shingon-sect style – a design believed to be among the first prayer bead forms brought to Japan, closely resembling the all-sect formal style, typically with two tassels front and back strung on red cord; the slightly longer beads carried on pilgrimages such as the Shikoku henro are a variation of this same Shingon-sect design. Only one piece is available.

Product Specifications

Item Number: Q385622191054
Main Beads: Approx. 0.59 x 0.43 in (1.5 x 1.1 cm) – Compressed Amber
Main Beads: Approx. 0.39 x 0.28 in (1.0 x 0.7 cm) – Indian Bodhi Seed
Top Bead: Approx. 0.31 x 0.24 in (0.8 x 0.6 cm) – Compressed Amber