Obsidian Mala Necklace with Chinese Zodiac Sign

Description

A cast metal figure rests against a strand of volcanic black glass, two traditions of cosmic reckoning meeting at the junction of stone and symbol.

The Chinese zodiac assigns each birth year to one of twelve animals in a repeating twelve-year cycle, a system documented in Chinese astronomical records since at least the Han dynasty and maintained as a living framework of cultural reference across East and Southeast Asia. The mala, originating in Hindu devotional counting practice, entered Chinese Buddhist tradition along established overland trade routes.

Each of the 108 beads is formed from obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass produced when lava cools too rapidly at the earth’s surface for crystalline structure to develop. The beads are strung on silk thread, and a hand-cast metal pendant representing the birth-year animal from the Chinese zodiac is fixed at the junction point. The pendant is matched to the birth year provided at the time of order.

The strand contains 108 obsidian beads, one guru bead, and one zodiac pendant at the junction. The mala is sized for wear as a full-length necklace. The pendant is hand-cast metal; the strand is threaded on silk. No specific bead diameter is listed in the product specifications. Country of origin: China.

All twelve zodiac variants are identical in construction, differing only in the cast figure at the junction pendant. The obsidian beads carry the same geological and optical properties across all variants in the series.