Burmese Buddhist Temple. Black Dalong Mantra Bead Ring. Silver-Gold Alloy Small Mantra Beads

Black Dalong mantra beads from a Burmese Buddhist temple. The exact age is unknown, but it is estimated to be from the 19th-20th century. It was already encased and set in a copper ring setting in Myanmar. These black alloy mantra beads are vastly different from the commonly seen gold and silver colored Dalong mantra beads. They closely resemble natural mineral-like "Lek Lai" (level 3). In fact, like the "Mekhala" alloy sacred items from Thailand, they are special alloys smelted from over ten types of metals. Many Buddhist sacred items in Thailand are inherited from Myanmar. This black Dalong alloy, upon reaching Thailand, became "Mekhala" alloy. Due to differences in the inherited alloy formulas, these black alloys also exhibit variations in depth of color and light refraction. These small mantra beads from Myanmar are most commonly set in rings for everyday wear by ordinary people. They possess an extremely powerful magnetic field, capable of suppressing extremely yin entities like ghosts and evil spirits. They serve as excellent protective, barrier-creating, and lucky amulets. As for the efficacy of black Dalong mantra beads... A merchant from mainland China who specializes in sourcing jade from Myanmar brought a batch (50-60 pieces) of these black Dalong mantra beads in 2023. They were all sold out within just two months. It is said their primary efficacy is risk aversion. Further information can be found through online searches; details will not be elaborated here. The ring band size is 16 (men's size). The back is further adorned with approximately 20 small silver-gold alloy mantra beads of varying sizes. These smaller mantra beads are more difficult to refine the smaller they are. They are used for consecrating stupas, Buddha statues, amulets, and other purposes. Sometimes, to refine larger mantra beads, these small mantra beads are added as raw material and smelted together. Their scarcity leads to a higher market price. 6800-113.10.08