Sandalwood and Turquoise Mala Necklace

Description

This sandalwood turquoise mala necklace carries the warmth of aged wood and the cool weight of stone at the wrist or throat. Each bead is distinct: the soft, close grain of sandalwood, the matte resistance of genuine turquoise.

Sandalwood has been harvested and worked across India, Nepal, and Tibet for more than two thousand years. In Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu craft traditions, it ranks among the most prized materials for mala beads, valued for its density, durability, and the faint fragrance it releases with repeated handling. Turquoise holds an equally deep history in Himalayan jewelry, mined and traded across the region for centuries as a stone of protection and fortune. The pairing of these two materials in a single mala is ancestral, not incidental.

The necklace is strung with 108 beads, the traditional count in Buddhist and Hindu mala practice. Each sandalwood bead measures approximately 8mm in diameter, hand-rounded and lightly polished to preserve the natural grain without erasing it. Turquoise beads, placed at intervals as dividers, measure approximately 6mm, their surfaces uneven and stone-true rather than synthetic-smooth. The cord is knotted individually between beads to prevent slippage. A single larger guru bead anchors the strand with a short natural tassel. Laid flat, the necklace measures approximately 90cm.

Sandalwood and turquoise mala necklace with 108 beads. Sandalwood beads approximately 8mm diameter, turquoise divider beads approximately 6mm. Knotted cord construction. Handcrafted, origin Nepal or India. Total length approximately 90cm. Traditional 108-count mala format.

A mala made to be used. The materials deepen with handling. Sourced from a lineage that counts generations.