L is an experienced hunter in Berau Regency East Kalimantan. One day he rang my friend B, that he got some excellent material.

These logs are costly, so at that time, B could only afford to get one.

And from this log, he and his four workers managed to make four mala beads and three bracelets out of it.

And because he is my friend, he made me the best one out of the four mala beads. The rest he sold it to a local guy.

I have seen many mala beads before, but this one is special.

First, you probably notice it is dark.

And it is very dark.

It is dark enough that I cannot take a picture at night time, even with my LED light on.

Because it would feel like "fake" from the reflection of light,. The image would be too dark for you to see the grains (pattern) of this mala.

So I waited and waited -- Until 10.00 am when the sun is just right

And BOOM

I captured the beauty of it with my phone.

The photo is original.

It is what it is. No edit, no software. Just sunlight, my phone (Google Pixel 2), and this Ethereal Agarwood mala.

I have heard this request many times.

"darker colour please, with good resin, price around $350."

Unfortunately, with $350, it would be hard to accommodate this requirement.

The good news: this mala is "darker" than dark,  compared to many in the market.

It will be unlikely you have seen this grain and texture before