Our New 2014 Lookbook

Lookbook 2014 Winter/Spring 

Photography by Jodi Bodtke of Giving Tree Photography 

Some amazing images from my sister's trip to Tibet

Brand New From Nepal, India and the US, handmade by Tibetan artisans

In the past 5 years, the traditional seed mala has undergone a change.  Heavy demand for the Bodhi seed in China and other parts of Buddhist Asia have made it next to impossible to find quality bodhi seeds.  The most sought after beads are the smallest bodhi seeds, and while they have always been hard to find and expensive, they are now completly unavalible to the avrage person, with malas selling for hundreds of dollars each in Nepal.
Large bodhi seeds are still readily available, we put away tens of thousands of beautiful 11mm bodhi seed beads a few years ago and we have been making our custom malas with this store of beads.  The commonly available bodhi seeds are now 14mm which make for a rather large mala.  While still used by monks and laypeople in Nepal, our customers have been asking for a smaller seed mala and we have found a great source for them in Nepal.

Raktu seed malas have been around for a long time, grown in Nepal at high altitudes the raktu seed (like the bodhi seed) is sustainable, gourgeous and much more available. Raktu beads are 8mm making them a perfect size for those seeking a smaller mala then the every growing bodhi malas.
We also have a large selection of wood beads made of sandalwood, red sandalwood, and rosewood.  These beads can be made in any size and we carry 6mm to 9mm beads.  

Mala of the Day Hand Knotted Mala

Todays Mala of the day is handmade by Karma Rangzom. This 108 bead smoky quartz mala is knotted between each bead (taking loads of time I can assure you. A beautiful, simple and perfect set of beads.

New one of a kind Mala by Christy Cohen

This 108 bead mala is much more then just jewelry, Jasper and Bodhi seed beads with handmade silver charms and Tibetan silver capped beads.

Handmade by Christy at the Dharmashop 10mm beads 38 inches around

Tibetan Singing Bowls

I have been collecting and selling Tibetan singing bowls for 12 years now and have traveled all over Nepal to find the finest bowls available anywhere. During this time I have seen tens of thousands of bowls and brought home containers filled with hand picked singing bowls. I choose my bowls by quality and by price. I know that not everyone can afford a 20 inch masterpiece quality bowl, so i try to find a balance of quality unique bowls in many price points.

Unfortunately over the years I have also seen many people misrepresent the bowls they sell. There are dozens of websites selling 'antique' singing bowls claiming they were made in the 17th century. These claims are simply false. Nepal closely regulates antiques and it is illegal to take antiques out of the country. Many of the bowls sold as 'antique' are 40 to 100 years old, what we call our older bowls. These are bowls of a certain quality that you cannot find today. These older bowls have great character, great artistry and unique tones. I think that bowls should be classified by these attributes, and not by the 'antique' label.

At the dharmashop we sell hand cast bowls in our singing bowl gift sets, new hand hammered bowls that are made entirely by hand and hand tuned. we also sell older bowls that have been collected through many trip to Asia and are getting much harder to find as metal prices go up and the number of older bowls out there simply dries up.