Nepalese Mali or Strand of Prayer Beads

Each bead is a different size, and none of them is in a hurry.

This mali, or strand of prayer beads, comes from Nepal and dates to the 19th century, made of hand-worked shell. Buddhist and Hindu worshippers across the Himalaya use strands of prayer beads to keep count of recitations during prayer and meditation. The beads are chunky barrels of creamy white, graduated from small at the back to large at the center. Brown veins and pits mark many of them, and the edges are soft. No two look quite the same. Twelve and a half inches high as it hangs.

Every bead is a small, separate pause.