Agarwood and Zhuni teapots. I got the itch. Halp!

[Darth_Chris]

So I woke up one day and suddenly it dawned on me. I got all these Yixing tea pots and I would trade them all for a Zhuni. Looked at some of my prayer beads. Made of ebony, crystal, rosewood, etc...and I thought to myself. Wow a Agarwood or Huanghuali one would be awesome. Two best in class items, heirloom grade. That I can use, enjoy and grow old with to one day pass down.

So the search continued...on google...and what do I find? Myself stuck in the middle of the deep blue ocean surrounded by sharks. Fakes, cons, hustlers everywhere. In the market of prayer beads and tea pots, its a shame there are so many unethical people. People use those those beads to pray, to channel their spirits and energies in. You know how devastating it would be to realize that mala you have been nursing for the past year is just regular sandalwood weighted with iron and dyed black? All those negative energies hit you dead smack in the face. That bead you once looked to for serenity was really born in the fires of profit, lies and greed.

I have lurked around on here for a month or two. Read a lot of articles and have learned a lot of information. So right now I really need to find reputable honest sellers to help me out. I hope someone can help point this lost padawan in the right direction!

Thanks TeaChat!
Chris

[Fuut]

Yeah well, the human species are absolutely worthless nowadays. That's that unfortunate result of devolution.

Idiots getting killed because they want to make a selfie with a rattlesnake or grizzly. That's all that's left of Darwinism anno 2016.

[Darth_Chris]

Well I find it very messed up people sell counterfeit clothes and jewelry. But for vanities sake, the people that buy those things to pretend they are real are as about worthless as the knock offs they buy.

People that buy tepots and prayer beads are not wanting to show off. These items are very simple and unassuming. Used for spiritual and healing. Thats why its even more unethical to be selling fakes. Its like if I ran a crematory and just gave you ash from coals and told you that it was your dad.

Anywho I really wish I can get recommended to a reputable seller.

[William]

People that buy tepots and prayer beads are not wanting to show off.

Actually, most of well-pocket buyer purchase this kind of pieces just for this, you know .. vulgar ostentation.

[Darth_Chris]

Whats to show off its not a gold Rolex! Just a wooden prayer bead. Nobody will look twice at it! Unless perhaps you have a friends circle that is interested in these things.

For me I see it as an investment. From my understanding most wild Aquilaria plants are nearing extinction. They are all cultivated now. Which means in my life time I will most likely see this happen. The same goes for old Zhuni. They are both a non renewable resource.

Nobody knows any reputable vendors? Kyarazen is one but he has never replied me yet.

[Bok]

People that buy tepots and prayer beads are not wanting to show off. These items are very simple and unassuming. Used for spiritual and healing.

Come to Taiwan, people buy Zhuni pots almost uniquely to show off! Hoarding dozens of them and devoid them of their main function – to brew tea. Instead they gather dust or spend their shelf life hidden away in foam-clad boxes.

Same for prayer beads, people wear them to show-off their beliefs of compliment their calligraphy/taiji/whatever-master outfit… At least that is how I observe it in Taiwan or China.

I also do not think people ever were better or worse than now. Human nature does not change that much. In the end we can not even know how people were in older times, no one was there and accounts vary and are by nature subjective. Knock-off are as old as originals. Anything which is valuable to someone, someone else will try to fake, hardly a new concept.

[Bok]

Always pains me to see those old teapot collections… we could all own real Zhuni, if everyone was just to keep the ones they regularily use

[.m.]

[deleted]

[.m.]

[deleted]

[Darth_Chris]

Well I am no collector of Qing dynasty teapots. I just want a teapot to brew with. Usually investors that got that kind of cash buy these relics to launder money anyways to duck the IRS but thats another topic. I actually want to use my Zhuni teapot and prayer beads and watch them both patina and glow from my use.

[Bok]

Well I am no collector of Qing dynasty teapots.

Even with the more recent ones, the prices are quite high, unfortunately.
Doesn’t help that it seems that the clay sources for Zhuni are gone.

[jayinhk]

You're now dealing with Mainland China being the world's largest consumer market--people absolutely buy fancy prayer beads and teapots to show off up there.

[Darth_Chris]

Well im from Houston, TX and nobody would look twice at a sinking grade agarwood bead.

[jayinhk]

Well im from Houston, TX and nobody would look twice at a sinking grade agarwood bead.

I personally wouldn't want to own prayer beads made from a material from a species that's in danger of extinction...just seems evil to me! Old ones, sure, but I wouldn't buy any new ones. The Chinese and their demand for exotic natural products is causing massive destruction around the world, perhaps most prominently in Africa.

[Darth_Chris]

Well from my research is they would have to be old. Cultivated agarwood now is all "white wood" and not very desirable at all because they lack the resin from the infection. And mostly all fake too @_@