Talk:Dzi bead

I suspect I have screwed up by placing my comments in the actual Wiki article. Not my intension at all (!). A great deal of this article could be improved, beginning with spelling the word "dZi" correctly. (It is not "Dzi"). I prefer the spelling "zi"—as explained in my Arts of Asia article. I now understand that "original research" should not be included in a Wiki article. I will come back when I have published that information. But, I am currently working toward a new article on zi beads now, and expect to cover technology issues in the near-future. Jamey D. Allen````  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jamey4beads (talk • contribs) 10:44, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

A note
In the "Value" section it states that "cinnabar spots are caused by iron" but this is incorrect. Cinnabar is mercury sulfide and does not originate from iron-bearing minerals. Cinnabar is a rare inclusion in agates and chalcedony, which would explain why the value for these would be so high. Iron, on the other hand, is the primary colorant in agates, and is extremely common. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.113.230.149 (talk) 20:47, 19 May 2011 (UTC)

The inclusions in zi beads are indeed iron (!). Namely hematite. The reference to "cinnabar" is merely a comparison to color. Not the mercuric mineral. Among agates and chalcedonies, those that are red or reddish are called carnelian (in American English). The color likewise results from iron impurities/inclusions. These are generally sub-microscopic, and are distributed throughout the stone—and impart color. The appearance of "blood spots" or "cinnabar spots" occurs when the hematite inclusions are large enough and clustered-together that they become visible to the unaided eye. Although some believe that "blood spots" are a mark of authenticity, there are modern reproductions that include this phenomenon. So they are meaningless. Jamey D. Allen ```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jamey4beads (talk • contribs) 09:44, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Ancient vacuum chamber??
"The smoothness and absence of cracks in the agates imply that the heating and bleaching processes took place at a high altitude or in some sort of ancient vacuum chamber."

Ancient vacuum chamber, from 3000 to 4000 years ago. Oh, c'mon!

I also notice the lack of citation regarding their age. If the origin is mysterious, how do we know the age? What method is used to date dzi beads? 108.219.39.17 (talk) 01:49, 28 May 2013 (UTC)


 * I removed "ancient vacuum chamber" from that paragraph. I think you're right about the article not explaining how the beads are dated -- that should be added (not by me, I have no idea how it's done but it sounds interesting). I'm also curious just who made the "few hundred thousand were supposedly brought back by Tibetan soldiers from Persia or ancient Tajikistan during a raid." In any case, this article desperately needs footnotes and the editing out of all those weasel words like "Some say..." Risssa (talk) 00:41, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

Dragon scales
From the entry: "....are made from genuine agate without "dragon skin" or "dragon veins...."

I've read the exact opposite, that dzi featuring dragon scales are more valuable than those without. Risssa (talk) 00:27, 19 January 2014 (UTC)


 * Dragon Skin does not make the dzi bead more valuable. Dragon Skin is nothing significant.  It is merely the outcome of dzi beads that have gone through rituals involving fire.  The crackles are not dissimilar to that of crackles on old coffee mugs. Eddychsu (talk) 17:34, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

Copyvio or not?
Some of the text in this article may be copied from here:

http://www.fengshuijewelrystore.com/tibetan-wish-dzi-bead-tibetan-ruyi-dzi-bead-p-708.html

Or, on the other hand, that site may have copied text from the Wikipedia article; I don't know. Invertzoo (talk) 23:18, 7 August 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 13:57, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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