{"title":"Yak Bone \u0026 Horn","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeads of the Tibetan plateau: yak bone and horn, byproducts of the herds, carved into malas, necklaces, and one small shrine of a Dzi.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"gold-9-1","title":"The Desert Sky Turquoise \u0026 Bone Bracelet","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a bold, artisanal statement piece that beautifully marries rustic texture with striking color. A thick, continuous strand of hand-carved cow bone discs are separated by 4 unique turquoise lanterns, giving the piece a satisfying, tactile weight and an earthy, ancient feel. These vibrant stones feature a natural dark matrix webbing, adding depth and character to every angle. The cool, vivid blue against the warm, organic bone creates a stunning visual contrast taht is both bohemian and sophisticated. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 12mm, 20mm\u003cbr\u003ePieces: 68 cow bone, 4 turquoise \u003cbr\u003eWeight: 63.5g  \u003cbr\u003eBracelet size: 18cm (est.)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49866911056182,"sku":"","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/IMG_5401.jpg?v=1792454625"},{"product_id":"yak-bone-dzi","title":"Yak Bone Dzi","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA shrine the size of a thumb.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA single dzi (གཟི་, \u003cem\u003egzi\u003c\/em\u003e) of connected Yak Bone, joined by thin strands of inlaid silver. Bone for impermanence and inner strength. Dzi for protection and blessing. Silver, frankly, because it deserves it. Adjustable cord.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e A dzi is a personal shrine: protection and blessing concentrated into a single bead, carried against your skin rather than enshrined on a shelf.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\nBead size: 35mm x 12mm Pieces: 1 dzi Weight: 8.8g Overall size: 18cm (est.) (adjustable)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bone and silver. Dry cloth. Silver darkens naturally. A soft buff brings it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/authentic-vs-decorative-dzi\"\u003eAuthentic vs. Decorative Dzi\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51422772855094,"sku":"","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/IMG_5405.jpg?v=1792454390"},{"product_id":"newt-12-24","title":"Sun \u0026 Vajra Yak Bone Mala","description":"\u003cp\u003eHand-carved from yak bone, this Tibetan mala carries the weight of an animal central to Himalayan life. The cross symbol etched on the beads is the visvavajra (double dorje), a sign of absolute stability and protection that dispels evil from all directions, while the encircled dot represents the sun, a focal point of areness, inviting the practicioner to center the mind during meditation. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYak bone itself embodies impermanence, a core Buddhist teaching that reminds us to cherish each passing moment. Over time, the bone will develop a warm ivory patina through handling, making every bead even more unique than it already is. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not simple jewelry - this is a tactile spiritual tool with deep cultural roots. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 8mm\u003cbr\u003ePieces: 108 yak bone beads\u003cbr\u003eWeight: 54.2g  \u003cbr\u003eNecklace size: 63.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51431156416822,"sku":"","price":145.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/IMG_5548.jpg?v=1792454444"},{"product_id":"the-charnel-ground-yak-skull-mala","title":"The Charnel Ground Yak Skull Mala","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe oldest teaching in Tibetan Buddhism, worn around your neck.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeads cut from yak skull carry the lesson every Himalayan tradition leads with: everything passes (མི་རྟག་པ་, \u003cem\u003emi rtag pa\u003c\/em\u003e). This is not grim and it is not a warning label. It is a memento mori, meant to be worn: a quiet argument for spending your days well. Warm honeyed skull beads set with a dzi-style barrel centerpiece and a crackle-etched oval antique dzi (གཟི་, \u003cem\u003egzi\u003c\/em\u003e). A brass open hand in the abhaya gesture, the pledge of fearlessness, hangs below. Paired counters of ten iron discs each finish in small conch pendants. A serious piece for a serious practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e Skull beads carry the charnel-ground teaching that everything passes. The abhaya hand answers fear with protection. The dzi concentrates it all into one bead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Faint warm honeyed note from the old bone. The brass and iron add only a trace of cold metal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e In your hand with eyes closed: the skull beads are blunt and honest, warm from the first circuit. The iron counters interrupt the count with a cool, dense click, ten beads each, a small anchor mid-stream. The conch pendants close the circuit light and smooth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bone, brass, iron, shell. Wipe with a dry or barely-damp cloth. No prolonged soaking. Store in a pouch apart from harder stones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn bone:\u003c\/strong\u003e Carved from domesticated yak, a byproduct of the Himalayan food economy. Nothing was killed for this mala. The yak is valued and used in full. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/yak-bone\"\u003eYak Bone\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn the antique dzi:\u003c\/strong\u003e Our supplier's stock consistently runs 50 to 150 years old, and we classify this piece accordingly. If it happens to be older, consider it a bonus. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/authentic-vs-decorative-dzi\"\u003eAuthentic vs. Decorative Dzi\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51507157401910,"sku":"","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/The_Charnel_Ground_Yak_Skull_Mala_-_img1.jpg?v=1792455784"},{"product_id":"high-pasture-yak-horn-necklace","title":"High Pasture Yak Horn Necklace","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe plateau's everyday material, wearing better than it should.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBarrel beads of genuine Yak Horn in a soft, creamy ivory tone, darker grain running through each piece. Horn is keratin, not bone: lighter, warmer to the touch, and quick to take a gentle polish from your hand. The yak (འབྲི་, \u003cem\u003ebri\u003c\/em\u003e) is the backbone of high Himalayan life, and every part of a domesticated yak is valued and used. Simple, honest, and easy to wear with anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e Horn is the plateau's everyday material: combs, bowls, tool handles. On your neck it reads as grounding, strength, and quiet protection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e A faint clean keratin note when warm, like polished leather. Most read nearly scentless.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Warm, light, and quick to take body heat. The creamy ivory darkens at the grain like wood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Horn. No prolonged water. No heat. Hand oils are welcome. Wipe with a dry or barely-damp cloth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn horn:\u003c\/strong\u003e Same food-economy byproduct as our bone. Nothing was killed for beads. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/yak-horn-beads\"\u003eYak Horn Beads\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51507408634166,"sku":"","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/High_Pasture_Yak_Horn_Necklace.jpg?v=1792455515"},{"product_id":"bone-bone-and-more-bone","title":"Bone, Bone, and More Bone","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBone, bone, and more bone.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA black jade Zhong Kui (钟馗, \u003cem\u003eZhong Kui\u003c\/em\u003e) pendant on the fiercest strand we've built: openwork-carved yak skull beads, cinnabar (朱砂, \u003cem\u003ezhu sha\u003c\/em\u003e) and amber accents, a modern Guangdong Dzi paired in (see \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/tibetan-vs-modern\"\u003eTibetan vs. Modern\u003c\/a\u003e: modern craft, labeled for what it is), and, the customer's own words, plastic novelty vertebrae. Yes, really. Commissioned per customer spec, and already sold. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/pendant-imagery\"\u003ePendant Imagery\u003c\/a\u003e for Zhong Kui himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e Zhong Kui is China's demon queller, the fierce face that keeps worse things away. The skull beads say memento mori in the Tibetan register. Black jade grounds the whole piece. And the plastic vertebrae say the customer had a sense of humor, and so do we.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Faint dry organics from the bone, warm resin from the amber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Substantial. Black jade cool and smooth, openwork skulls intricate under the thumb, vertebrae light and clicky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\nBead size: mixed\nPieces: pendant strand\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatus: commissioned per customer specification. Sold, 0 in stock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67767747182902,"sku":null,"price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/Bone_Bone_and_More_Bone.jpg?v=1792454853"},{"product_id":"the-nyima-mala","title":"The Nyima Mala","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwelve small suns, and every one of them sets.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAged yak horn (牦牛角, \u003cem\u003emao niu jiao\u003c\/em\u003e), carved bead by bead with the sun itself: a dot inside a circle, worn smooth by decades of thumbs. Three red agate (玛瑙, \u003cem\u003ema nao\u003c\/em\u003e) rounds carry the Tibetan pearl-dresser's art, hand-inlaid with silver, cinnabar (朱砂, \u003cem\u003ezhu sha\u003c\/em\u003e), and turquoise (绿松石, \u003cem\u003elü song shi\u003c\/em\u003e). Twelve auspicious pendants ride the strand: suns, a skull, yak teeth. Two ten-bead counters keep tally for practice, and past the guru bead a two-strand spiral of Himalayan clay beads winds down to the tassel. An antique from the Tibetan plateau, strung as found. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/yak-bone-horn\"\u003eYak Bone \u0026amp; Horn\u003c\/a\u003e for the material and \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/malas-101\"\u003eMalas 101\u003c\/a\u003e for the counters and guru.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e The sun is ཉི་མ (\u003cem\u003enyi ma\u003c\/em\u003e) in Tibetan, the day's eye, and its pairing with the moon is method and wisdom. Here it repeats across every bead. The skull pendant (see \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/pendant-imagery\"\u003ePendant Imagery\u003c\/a\u003e) says what the setting sun says: nothing keeps. The yak teeth carry the herd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Old horn and old hands: a faint warm organic note that rises with wear. The clay beads hold a dry, earthy trace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Horn that was smooth before you were born: dense, warm, quick to take your heat. The carved suns sit proud of the surface and tick under the thumb. The pendants swing and settle against the wrist, and the spiral string at the guru is a small tactile full stop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\nPieces: yak horn rounds, 3 inlaid agate, 12 pendants, 2 ten-bead counters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Antique horn and clay. No soaking, no oils or perfume, dry cloth only. Rest it in its pouch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn sourcing:\u003c\/strong\u003e Acquired on the Tibetan plateau and sold as found: an antique, decades old, with its age in the patina.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67773098164534,"sku":null,"price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/The_Nyima_Mala.jpg?v=1792454732"},{"product_id":"the-marme-mala","title":"The Marme Mala","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMay it give you light the way a lantern does.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYak bone (牦牛骨, \u003cem\u003emao niu gu\u003c\/em\u003e) carved in openwork, each bead a small lantern with the light left in. Twelve charms ride the strand: treasure vases (宝瓶, \u003cem\u003ebao ping\u003c\/em\u003e; Tibetan \u003cem\u003ebumpa\u003c\/em\u003e), dharma wheels (法轮, \u003cem\u003efa lun\u003c\/em\u003e), and garuda (迦楼罗, \u003cem\u003ejia lou luo\u003c\/em\u003e; Tibetan ཁྱུང, \u003cem\u003ekhyung\u003c\/em\u003e), the sky-born protector. The two ten-bead counters end in a vajra (金刚杵, \u003cem\u003ejin gang chu\u003c\/em\u003e) and a protection amulet. Three pearls (珍珠, \u003cem\u003ezhen zhu\u003c\/em\u003e) sit inlaid. Past the guru bead, a strand and tassel hold a prayer wheel (转经筒, \u003cem\u003ezhuan jing tong\u003c\/em\u003e): hollow, and it opens. Inside, a rolled prayer on paper. See \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/yak-bone-horn\"\u003eYak Bone \u0026amp; Horn\u003c\/a\u003e for the material, \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/pendant-imagery\"\u003ePendant Imagery\u003c\/a\u003e for the charms, and \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/knowledge-base\/malas-101\"\u003eMalas 101\u003c\/a\u003e for the counters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeaning:\u003c\/strong\u003e The name is the wish: mar me (མར་མེ་), the butter lamp lit at Tibetan altars, light as wisdom burning down ignorance. The prayer wheel carries a written prayer inside: every turn counts as a recitation, which is the point of the thing. The treasure vase holds abundance, the dharma wheel turns the teaching, garuda guards from above. Twelve charms, two counters, one lamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dry and soft: old bone, a trace of oil from hands long gone, paper inside the wheel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Openwork bone is lighter than it looks. The lantern beads warm fast and the carving catches the thumb; the charms move when you move. The prayer wheel unscrews with a practiced half-turn: paper inside, old and soft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\nPieces: yak bone openwork rounds, 12 charms, 3 inlaid pearls, 2 ten-bead counters, prayer wheel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bone and paper. No soaking, no oils or perfume, dry cloth only. Open the wheel with dry hands and seat the cap snug.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"ValhallaVillage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67773159735606,"sku":null,"price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/files\/The_Marme_Mala.jpg?v=1792454708"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0851\/8516\/7670\/collections\/The_Charnel_Ground_Yak_Skull_Mala.jpg?v=1792353976","url":"https:\/\/valhallavillage.myshopify.com\/collections\/yak-bone-horn.oembed","provider":"ValhallaVillage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}