Have you noticed that the number of counterfeit agarwood prayer beads has increased consistently? You have been looking for a genuine one but felt confused and did not know where to look for? Maybe in the past, you invested in one and had been let down. You have been scammed multiple times, and you do not know who to trust anymore. Be cautious of agarwood beads sold at a cheap price, as genuine agarwood products are typically more expensive due to their quality and rarity.

What is cheap? Well something like advertised at $200 USD sinking Agarwood or $20 USD for a high-quality resin-dense Agarwood bracelet.

Why am I revealing this to you?

I knew how you felt. Your confidences shattered. You were sick of filing a claim through Paypal or through your credit card provider which took months to finalise. Would it help if I show you what to look for so you can at least minimise the trouble? Of course, if you met an unscrupulous agarwood seller, he/she who had the intention to cheat will cheat, and he/she were getting better at cheating. However, the below principal would help you during the “preliminary “process (checking, smelling, observing before investing yourself a right agarwood bracelet/mala). Let me walk you through some steps.

Recently one of our clients came across a black bracelet and was told that what he was buying was a high-resin agarwood bracelet. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a fake agarwood bracelet, highlighting the prevalence of such counterfeits in the market.

After making some offers, he got the bracelet home and asked us to verify. Without mentioning the price, we started our process:

After making some offers, he got the bracelet home and asked us to verify. Without mentioning the price, we started our process:

1) Understanding Agarwood Beads

What are Agarwood Beads?

Agarwood beads are small, spherical pieces crafted from the resinous wood of the Aquilaria tree. This unique wood is produced when the tree becomes infected by a specific type of fungus, leading to the formation of a fragrant resin. Agarwood beads are highly prized for their distinctive aroma and are commonly used in jewelry, such as bracelets and necklaces. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, agarwood is also valued in traditional medicine, incense, and perfumes due to its unique properties.

Types of Agarwood Beads

When it comes to agarwood beads, there are several types to be aware of, each with its own characteristics and value. Natural agarwood beads are sourced from wild agarwood trees and are considered the most valuable and rare due to their limited availability. Cultivated agarwood beads, on the other hand, come from trees grown on plantations. These beads are more sustainable and affordable, making them a popular choice for many. Lastly, fake agarwood beads are often made from other types of wood or synthetic materials designed to mimic the appearance and scent of genuine agarwood. These counterfeit beads are typically used to deceive consumers, so it is crucial to know how to identify them.

1) Agarwood Smell and appearance

Agarwood beads are renowned for their unique and captivating fragrance, often described as earthy, woody, and slightly sweet. This distinctive smell is due to the presence of agarwood oil, a natural oil produced by the Aquilaria tree. The appearance of agarwood beads can vary, but they are typically dark brown or black with a smooth, glossy texture. The combination of their unique scent and appearance makes agarwood beads highly sought after in various cultures and industries.

If the product is genuine, you would be able to detect the natural fragrance wood. If you discover any unusual scent, for example, alcoholic, or chemical smell, this indicates a possible counterfeit item. This distinctive smell is due to the presence of agarwood oil. Genuine products infused with agarwood essential oil have a pleasant, mild fragrance, while fake products often have overpowering scents due to chemical substitutes.

Genuine agarwood beads usually ARE NOT SOLID in colour, mainly black. Simple fact, Agarwood beads are made from wounded Aquilaria tree, which contains white fibre and infected wood. People will tell you that the beads were made purely with the infected part, but it is not valid. Below pictures show how resins distributed within the wood.

The value of the agarwood beads lies on the resin (more resin, more expensive) as it might take decades to form for the sinking grade. These agarwood pieces are often very old, and you can detect the scent of it at room temperature. 

Agarwood log: there are some white fibre in the peripheral area as well as some dark resinous parts which take years or decades to form. Hence it would be unwise to make beads out of it (and it is not enough material to make it anyway). Below are pictures of cultivated and wild agarwood log:

Cultivated Agarwood

Wild Agarwood

(Source: our agarwood hunters)

From these logs, we cut and divide the log into smaller square beads size before filing rounding and polishing

The most resinous part was taken out to make beads, leaving the "frame" that has lesser value as below.

(Source: from our agarwood hunter, Borneo agarwood)

(This quality log would be suitable for chips, incenses, oil or 108 mala beads as its consistent patent)

From the above logs, there is no part which is 100% black or brown hence so the agarwood beads.

Any beads which are solid in colour are injected with agarwood oil and other spice to create a pleasant fragrance; hence, there is little value on its.

Below are white wood with a small infection compared to resinous beads. Please look at the pattern.

 2) Resin

Boil the water, quickly submerge a bead into it in 30 seconds and observe. If the water starts changing its colour slightly (if you boiled any wood, the water texture would change anyway), that is fine,

By contrast, if you saw cloudy stuff formed around the bead, it would mean this bead was tampered.

Melted substance (mainly mix with oil and other unknown substance)

OR

Chop the beads in half; you would be able to detect shiny vein, turn the beads up and down and move slightly.

oil-injected Aquilaria Crassna using high pressure, no shiny vein is detected .

Sometimes, Agarwood beads are made with healthy Aquilaria tree which has no resin. Beads made from this log are usually white in colour.

Then they are put inside a pressure cooker to force the oil inside the beads

Young genuine agarwood beads with a small amount of resin.

If you look closely, you can see some shiny veins which oil-injected bead does not carry.

3) Under microscope or magnifier

The bead below shows moderate resin (agarwood) without any artificial dying colour/agent. The pattern is natural and random.

Genuine agarwood beads should look similar or better (with more "resin line). Any solid colour beads have tampered with the dying agent might not be real agarwood as this act ruined the fragrance of it.

For high-grade agarwood beads, watch out for tricks like lead or iron injection into beads to increase weight.

(picture above shows an attempt to deceive the weight by iron insertion for sinking grade).

 Agarwood beads appearance

1) Low resin mala beads 7mm

2) High resin mala beads 7mm

P/S

Online sellers often claim that their beads are NATURAL, GENUINE beads, terms like "black agarwood/ eaglewood" rare are used frequently. Here is an example:

1. No pattern visible but solid colour. Agarwood is infected wood which would show random "pattern".
2. The smell is overwhleming from a distance, which indicates "scent" has been injected. In this instance, a mixture of spice and agarwood oil.
3. Weight is more than 35g and sunk underwater with a price of less than $1000 USD. The bracelet sank because of something else rather than the resin of it.
4. It might not be agarwood at all, but just any wood injected with oil to create agarwood scent. 

More example:

More agarwood beads claimed, but they turn out the counterfeit item

Too black and shiny, and heavy feel. There is limited grain (pattern or infected area)

The below image confirmed it is non-agarwood beads as it is dyed with colour.

Please compare to the genuine beads below.

Updated on 27/09/2016

4) Pattern

We are very proud to carry on this business from our grandparents hence never supplied an inferior product if in doubt.

Here is the most popular pattern of agarwood beads, by learning the genuine one, you could tell the counterfeit apart. The below was sold at circa $1200 AUD.

We have consulted several clients for specific agarwood patterns. Recently, we came across a few buaya or crocodile agarwood (this species is entirely different from the Thymelaeaceae family, the genus Gyrinops and Aquilaria). Below are pictures that claimed genuine agarwood but were made from "buaya".

Buaya: crocodile agarwood. Hardwood with resin, the smell is not as pleasant as agarwood.

The essential oil distilled from it giving a cloudy white colour. There is nothing wrong with this wood as it made beautiful wooden beads. Unscrupulous sellers inflate its price or tell consumers it is agarwood.

Buaya beads: please note, in Hongkong and China, these beads (buaya) are being sold as agarwood. PLEASE BEWARE

The resin formed is not one of the agarwood patterns.

 If in doubt, carry a magnifier: you will see a similar pattern to a wood chip. It contains oil pores and long-shape islands (resin). The shape is oval or elliptically long and evenly distributed. These are the unique features of the Aquilaria species.

Below is how Original genuine Agarwood bracelet look

For example, please see the below beads, it shows that bead pattern is made from the  young or early infected area,

To make it is easier for you what the pattern comes from, please see the below log, please see the top section and compare with the next image

For GENUINE AGARWOOD BEADS, PLEASE VISIT OUR COLLECTION HERE

If you saw 2-polar beads, it is very likely made from cultivated agarwood as below image. The white parts and the infected parts are separated into half of the beads nearly evenly.

6) Characteristics of Real Agarwood Beads

Identifying real agarwood beads involves looking for several key characteristics that set them apart from fake ones. Here are some essential traits of genuine agarwood beads:

• Distinctive Fragrance: Real agarwood beads have a pleasant and unique smell due to the presence of agarwood oil. Please note this is a subtle aroma.

• Colour and Texture: Authentic beads are usually dark brown or black with a smooth, glossy finish. Young agarwood beads are yellow brown in colour. Please note the bead should not be solid black or brown. You should be able to see grain, or pattern of reason wood.

• Weight and Density: Agarwood beads are light compared to others. Even a bracelet made from18 mm per bead x 13 beads , should not exceed 36 grams (this is wild Agarwood weight, cultivated Agarwood will be lighter)

• Natural Pattern: The beads exhibit a unique and natural pattern, a result of the tree’s growth and resin formation.

• Certification: This is not standard. Unlike gemstone or other goods, where you can look for certification or documentation from reputable organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or the Agarwood Association to verify authenticity, Agarwood has no such organisation to certify, unfortunately.  Sometimes, sellers produce this certificate by themselves. This is not a reliable way.

While fake agarwood beads can sometimes mimic these characteristics, they often fall short in quality and authenticity. Being aware of these traits can help you make an informed decision and avoid being deceived by counterfeit products.

If you are interested in agarwood beads and water testing, please click here.

Small agarwood carving

Smell the artifact first, and check surrounding to detect any glue was used.

Check behind

The fibre looks genuine, similar to agarwood chips.

What about the below figurine- can you tell if it is Agarwood?

It looks genuine, but the weight was a bit heavy. Smell odd?  Look below; this is a giveaway; the fibre is NOT Aquilaria fibre. This item is NOT AGARWOOD.

 READ PART 2 HERE