Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 When looking at photos of beads, how can one know if they are fully ripened? I recently read that, for some years in Nepal, many beads, even collector size, are now harvested before they are ripened, many villagers are doing this because of fear of theft of higher mukhi beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western Nepal, so they often soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for several weeks for them to become heavy and different color like a natural ripened bead. How can one begin to distinquish these fake beads from fully ripened beads? Does the beads change appearance as they ripen, deeper mukhi lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets etc? Perhaps the seeds inside are also smaller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Even if all that is true, it doesn't make them "fake" beads. - alstrup Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:11 AM Fully Ripened Beads When looking at photos of beads, how can one know if they are fully ripened? I recently read that, for some years in Nepal, many beads, even collector size, are now harvested before they are ripened, many villagers are doing this because of fear of theft of higher mukhi beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western Nepal, so they often soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for several weeks for them to become heavy and different color like a natural ripened bead. How can one begin to distinquish these fake beads from fully ripened beads? Does the beads change appearance as they ripen, deeper mukhi lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets etc? Perhaps the seeds inside are also smaller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Of course. But I would think the power in the beads are less, since they have not been allowed to develop fully? I wonder if the physical size is also less. The seeds must be smaller since the beads become more heavy as they ripen, what else could make them heavy, of course if there are more protrusions on the surface. Any botanical insights from our Chandrashekharji? Thanks. , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > > Even if all that is true, it doesn't make them "fake" beads. > > - > alstrup > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:11 AM > Fully Ripened Beads > > > > When looking at photos of beads, how can one know if they are fully > ripened? I recently read that, for some years in Nepal, many beads, > even collector size, are now harvested before they are ripened, many > villagers are doing this because of fear of theft of higher mukhi > beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western Nepal, so they often > soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for several weeks for them > to become heavy and different color like a natural ripened bead. How > can one begin to distinquish these fake beads from fully ripened > beads? Does the beads change appearance as they ripen, deeper mukhi > lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets etc? Perhaps the > seeds inside are also smaller? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Power...maybe. Tough to say. Size and weight...probably. Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding their war off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. - alstrup Tuesday, January 16, 2007 10:02 AM Re: Fully Ripened Beads Of course. But I would think the power in the beads are less, since they have not been allowed to develop fully? I wonder if the physical size is also less. The seeds must be smaller since the beads become more heavy as they ripen, what else could make them heavy, of course if there are more protrusions on the surface. Any botanical insights from our Chandrashekharji? Thanks. , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > > Even if all that is true, it doesn't make them "fake" beads. > > - > alstrup > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:11 AM > Fully Ripened Beads > > > > When looking at photos of beads, how can one know if they are fully > ripened? I recently read that, for some years in Nepal, many beads, > even collector size, are now harvested before they are ripened, many > villagers are doing this because of fear of theft of higher mukhi > beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western Nepal, so they often > soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for several weeks for them > to become heavy and different color like a natural ripened bead. How > can one begin to distinquish these fake beads from fully ripened > beads? Does the beads change appearance as they ripen, deeper mukhi > lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets etc? Perhaps the > seeds inside are also smaller? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 I can see the movie, wiki, etc now, Conflict Rudrakshas .... hehe Andrew --- Mahamuni Das <mahamuni (AT) cox (DOT) net> wrote: > Power...maybe. Tough to say. > Size and weight...probably. > > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are > funding their war off of stolen higher muhki > rudrakshas though. > - > alstrup > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 10:02 AM > Re: Fully Ripened > Beads > > > Of course. But I would think the power in the > beads are less, since > they have not been allowed to develop fully? I > wonder if the > physical size is also less. The seeds must be > smaller since the > beads become more heavy as they ripen, what else > could make them > heavy, of course if there are more protrusions on > the surface. > > Any botanical insights from our Chandrashekharji? > > Thanks. > > , > "Mahamuni Das" > <mahamuni wrote: > > > > Even if all that is true, it doesn't make them > "fake" beads. > > > > - > > alstrup > > > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:11 AM > > Fully Ripened > Beads > > > > > > > > When looking at photos of beads, how can one > know if they are > fully > > ripened? I recently read that, for some years in > Nepal, many > beads, > > even collector size, are now harvested before > they are ripened, > many > > villagers are doing this because of fear of > theft of higher > mukhi > > beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western > Nepal, so they > often > > soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for > several weeks for > them > > to become heavy and different color like a > natural ripened bead. > How > > can one begin to distinquish these fake beads > from fully ripened > > beads? Does the beads change appearance as they > ripen, deeper > mukhi > > lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets > etc? Perhaps > the > > seeds inside are also smaller? > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail beta. http://new.mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding their war off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. Funding the war? Who claimed that..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 So what is their purpose and reason for stealing larger rudraksha fruit? Not for Shiva's blessings. So why? Also how could they know what muhki bead would be inside? There is no way to know. - alstrup Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:40 PM Re: Fully Ripened Beads , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding their war off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. Funding the war? Who claimed that..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 ha ... what would the maoist know about rudrakshas. picking of beads earlier does not make them fake. Mahamuni Das <mahamuni (AT) cox (DOT) net> wrote: Even if all that is true, it doesn't make them "fake" beads. - alstrup Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:11 AM Fully Ripened Beads When looking at photos of beads, how can one know if they are fully ripened? I recently read that, for some years in Nepal, many beads, even collector size, are now harvested before they are ripened, many villagers are doing this because of fear of theft of higher mukhi beads from the trees by Maoist rebels in Western Nepal, so they often soak the harvested unripened beads in oil for several weeks for them to become heavy and different color like a natural ripened bead. How can one begin to distinquish these fake beads from fully ripened beads? Does the beads change appearance as they ripen, deeper mukhi lines, deeper color, more thorns on mukhi facets etc? Perhaps the seeds inside are also smaller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 OK, I just checked my source of this information about the Maoist rebels. This information came from a posting by Rudra Centre's US distributorp at the sacred_objects group at . However, what I referenced in my original post here is NOT correct according to what was actually written there... I really must apologize for this misinformation. Basically what was written is that the Maoist rebels are/were extorting money from the farmers/merchants travelling back and forth from the Arun Valley and Kathmandu. If you are a member of that group, you can access that posting at sacred-objects/message/1555 There is also an earlier reference about this, which can be accessed here on this forum at /message/375 Whether or not this information he is giving is accurate or not, I cannot say for sure. However, I have in the meantime obtained some information from a Rudraksha business contact who is in Nepal. He informed me that it is true that many farmers pick their beads early, as soon as the beads have reached maximum size on the trees, this happens before the beads have fully ripened. The reason is fear of the beads being stolen, as the higher mukhis are easily seen on trees as the shape is obviously ovalish. He says that the seeds are fully grown inside and not crippled due to the early picking. If this is accurate, since fully ripened beads are more heavy, I guess that the seeds become heavier with more moisture absorption, what else could it be? If possible, I will try to get more info about this. I still dont know if the outer appearance of beads are more developed in a fully ripened bead or if weight is the only way of picking them apart. I also dont know how many weeks prior to the ripening that the farmers pick the beads. But I do know that it is possible to get fully ripened beads, it is just more difficult and you have to have a trustworthy supplier. If unripened beads are soaked in oil to get more heavy, use of certain oils like mustard seed oil will quickly darken the beads and they will obtain an oily lustre which is not seen in untreated beads. So I guess it will be fairly easy to see if a bead has been soaked to make it more heavy. ~ Ole , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > > So what is their purpose and reason for stealing larger rudraksha fruit? Not for Shiva's blessings. So why? Also how could they know what muhki bead would be inside? There is no way to know. > > - > alstrup > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:40 PM > Re: Fully Ripened Beads > > > , "Mahamuni Das" > <mahamuni@> wrote: > > > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding their war > off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. > > Funding the war? Who claimed that..? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 This seems more likely. Thanks for clarifying. BOM! Surya - alstrup Thursday, January 18, 2007 10:04 PM Re: Fully Ripened Beads OK, I just checked my source of this information about the Maoist rebels. This information came from a posting by Rudra Centre's US distributorp at the sacred_objects group at . However, what I referenced in my original post here is NOT correct according to what was actually written there... I really must apologize for this misinformation. Basically what was written is that the Maoist rebels are/were extorting money from the farmers/merchants travelling back and forth from the Arun Valley and Kathmandu. If you are a member of that group, you can access that posting at sacred-objects/message/1555 There is also an earlier reference about this, which can be accessed here on this forum at /message/375 Whether or not this information he is giving is accurate or not, I cannot say for sure. However, I have in the meantime obtained some information from a Rudraksha business contact who is in Nepal. He informed me that it is true that many farmers pick their beads early, as soon as the beads have reached maximum size on the trees, this happens before the beads have fully ripened. The reason is fear of the beads being stolen, as the higher mukhis are easily seen on trees as the shape is obviously ovalish. He says that the seeds are fully grown inside and not crippled due to the early picking. If this is accurate, since fully ripened beads are more heavy, I guess that the seeds become heavier with more moisture absorption, what else could it be? If possible, I will try to get more info about this. I still dont know if the outer appearance of beads are more developed in a fully ripened bead or if weight is the only way of picking them apart. I also dont know how many weeks prior to the ripening that the farmers pick the beads. But I do know that it is possible to get fully ripened beads, it is just more difficult and you have to have a trustworthy supplier. If unripened beads are soaked in oil to get more heavy, use of certain oils like mustard seed oil will quickly darken the beads and they will obtain an oily lustre which is not seen in untreated beads. So I guess it will be fairly easy to see if a bead has been soaked to make it more heavy. ~ Ole , "Mahamuni Das" <mahamuni wrote: > > So what is their purpose and reason for stealing larger rudraksha fruit? Not for Shiva's blessings. So why? Also how could they know what muhki bead would be inside? There is no way to know. > > - > alstrup > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:40 PM > Re: Fully Ripened Beads > > > , "Mahamuni Das" > <mahamuni@> wrote: > > > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding their war > off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. > > Funding the war? Who claimed that..? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Price levels may have remain high becos the targeted market are the affluent Indian diaspora in the US and they have bought at existing prices. Andrew , "alstrup" <alstrup wrote: > > OK, I just checked my source of this information about the Maoist > rebels. This information came from a posting by Rudra Centre's US > distributorp at the sacred_objects group at . However, > what I referenced in my original post here is NOT correct according > to what was actually written there... I really must apologize for > this misinformation. > > Basically what was written is that the Maoist rebels are/were > extorting money from the farmers/merchants travelling back and forth > from the Arun Valley and Kathmandu. If you are a member of that > group, you can access that posting at > sacred-objects/message/1555 > > There is also an earlier reference about this, which can be accessed > here on this forum at > /message/375 > > Whether or not this information he is giving is accurate or not, I > cannot say for sure. > > However, I have in the meantime obtained some information > from a Rudraksha business contact who is in Nepal. He informed me > that it is true that many farmers pick their beads early, as soon as > the beads have reached maximum size on the trees, this happens > before the beads have fully ripened. The reason is fear of the beads > being stolen, as the higher mukhis are easily seen on trees as the > shape is obviously ovalish. He says that the seeds are fully grown > inside and not crippled due to the early picking. If this is > accurate, since fully ripened beads are more heavy, I guess that the > seeds become heavier with more moisture absorption, what else could > it be? If possible, I will try to get more info about this. I still > dont know if the outer appearance of beads are more developed in a > fully ripened bead or if weight is the only way of picking them > apart. I also dont know how many weeks prior to the ripening that > the farmers pick the beads. But I do know that it is possible to get > fully ripened beads, it is just more difficult and you have to have > a trustworthy supplier. > > If unripened beads are soaked in oil to get more heavy, use of > certain oils like mustard seed oil will quickly darken the beads and > they will obtain an oily lustre which is not seen in untreated > beads. So I guess it will be fairly easy to see if a bead has been > soaked to make it more heavy. > > ~ Ole > > , "Mahamuni Das" > <mahamuni@> wrote: > > > > So what is their purpose and reason for stealing larger rudraksha > fruit? Not for Shiva's blessings. So why? Also how could they > know what muhki bead would be inside? There is no way to know. > > > > - > > alstrup > > > > Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:40 PM > > Re: Fully Ripened Beads > > > > > > , "Mahamuni Das" > > <mahamuni@> wrote: > > > > > Its hard for me to believe that Maoist rebels are funding > their war > > off of stolen higher muhki rudrakshas though. > > > > Funding the war? Who claimed that..? > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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