Eve on the Divine

In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Dzi Kingdom, founder Dato' Sri Martin Lui reflects on his career in Chinese metaphysics and the journey to build an empire from a spark of passion

- KIRAN PILLAY

When Dato' Sri Martin Lui first encountered dzi beads, he was an established civil engineer with property developer SP Setia. Never could he have imagined that a single instance with a mystical gem would change his fate. "I bought my first dzi in Ipoh from a crystal dealer. When I held it, I felt an electric shock, and my curiosity grew," the 57-year-old feng shui master recalls fondly.

Unlike crystals, dzi refers to tubular beads with motifs indicative of various blessings, from wealth, luck and protection to longevity and familial happiness. These mysterious relics first appeared in ancient Tibet between 2000 and 1000 BC, often starting as earth-formed agate, with patterns intentionally crafted or unveiled through human intervention. "Dzi beads pass down between generations, and they are more valuable than gold and diamonds to Tibetans. The highest quality ones comprise white jade," Master Lui explains.

As the exact origins of these beads are shrouded in mystery, the Tibetans regard authentic dzi as being of supernatural origin. Some dzi beads have circular motifs called eyes, with as few as one eye to enhance the wearer's wisdom, to large altar beads with 365 eyes, for protection and blessings upon a household. The first gem that inspired Lui was a nine-eyed dzi, which he clarifies denotes "power, authority and stability, ideal for business leaders." Today, the nine-eyed dzi makes up a part of the Dzi Kingdom logo.