Vtg Antique Carved Chinese Mala Skull Bead Necklace

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Vtg Antique Carved Chinese Mala Skull Bead Necklace This auction is for a unique and hand carved, mala bead strand, that is estimated to be made in China. This piece has a total of 19 beads, it is not a necklace since there is no clasp and can't fit over your head, but the piece is joined at one end. There are 17 heads (one bead is just plain and is not carved), one head is probably missing as these strands typically have 18 heads. The 18 bead malas have their own name-they are referred to as the 18 Arhats or the 18 Lohan. The 18 Arhats are Buddhist and similar to the Eight Daoist Immortals ...humans who have transcended to another life...but they still have the ability to take action in events on earth. Each head is individually carved by hand and is most likely made from a peach pit. What makes this piece unique is the facet that faces are carved on one side of the beads and skulls are carved at the other side. The heads have a nice amount of detail but are fairly roughly carved - they aren't in high relief and the carving is not fine. There are a couple of beads that have significant cracks, which you can see in some of the photos, and there are more that have smaller cracks but all of the beads are firm on the strand. My guess is that this strand is original, there is some knotting in spots, some gaps in the strand and a little read more

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