Dzi stones may have made their first appearance between 2000 BC to 1000 BC, in ancient India. Fear of the “Evil eye” was taken very seriously by these people, so they created talismans with “eyes” on them as a “fight fire with fire” form of protection.
While the origin surrounding Dzi beads are quite uncertain, it is socially accepted today that they are called "Tibetan beads". They are found primarily in Tibet, but also in neighbouring Bhutan, Ladakh and Sikkim. Shepherds and farmers pick them up in the grasslands or while cultivating fields. Because dZi are found in the earth, Tibetans cannot conceive of them as man-made. Since knowledge of the bead is derived from oral traditions, few beads have provoked more controversy concerning their source, method of manufacture and even precise definition. In Tibetan culture they are believed to attract protector deities.