Red sandalwood mala with a hand-forged guru bead and tassel

An elegant mala made of red sandalwood in a deep, warm wine-red hue—each bead slightly different in grain and tone, ranging from light reddish-brown to nearly black, with the silky luster that this wood develops when worn. The mala is finished with a large, hand-hammered guru bead made of silver-colored white metal featuring floral relief decoration, crafted by a Tibetan blacksmith in Nepal, with a tassel below it.

In Tibetan Buddhist practice, malas are used to count recitations; the guru bead traditionally marks the beginning and end of a round and is not crossed when counting. The mala is designed without a clasp and is available with either a pink or dark red tassel. We ship it in an elegant silk brocade pouch, which we select individually to match the color.

Bead diameter 8 mm · Circumference 76 cm · Red sandalwood · Guru bead: white metal with a silver finish · Tassel: pink or dark red · Made at Atelier Tibet in Zurich