Chinese Mala with Sterling Tibetan Cloud and Prayer

A bracelet of glossy dark beads, each one carrying a tiny white scribble.

This mala with sterling Tibetan cloud and prayer motifs is from China, and is contemporary. It is zitan & silver. A mala is a string of prayer beads used in Buddhist and Hindu practice to count recitations, and it often holds 108 beads. Smooth, round beads in deep brown-black are strung in a ring, with fine white cloud swirls and small characters inlaid on their surfaces. A dark bead and a knotted cord gather at the top. It is 3.25 inches in diameter.

It is jewelry with a surprisingly busy inner life.