Mala necklaces

Here in Dali, Buddhism has a long and important history. This was the gateway to the southern silk road and one of the pathways of Buddhism into China. Because of the famous and ancient Three Pagodas, many pilgrims still make the trip to Dali and Mala necklaces and bracelets are a very popular item. Many of the local designs are made of wooden beads both simple and highly refined from a few dollars to hundreds for rare woods and hand carved beads.

My Malas are inspired by these designs. I have used the traditional 108 beads with a distinct spacer every 27th bead and a 'guru' bead and tassel to mark the beginning and end. I have used pearls for these ones as they are of course my favourite!