Rudraksha Bracelet (Buddha Stones or Rudra)

Rudraksha (IAST: rudrākṣa) refers to the dried stones or seeds of the genus Elaeocarpus specifically, Elaeocarpus ganitrus.^[1] These stones serve as prayer beads for Hindus (especially Shaivas), Buddhists and Sikhs.^[2] When they are ripe, rudraksha stones are covered by an inedible blue outer fruit so they are sometimes called "blueberry beads".^[3]

The stones are associated with the Hindu deity Shiva and are commonly worn for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya (Sanskrit: ॐ नमः शिवाय; Om Namaḥ Śivāya). They are primarily sourced from India, Indonesia, and Nepal for jewellery and malas (garlands) and valued similarly to semi-precious stones.^[1] Rudraksha can have up to fourteen "faces" (Sanskrit: मुख, romanized: mukha, lit. 'face') or locules - naturally ingrained longitudinal lines which divide the stone into segments. Each face represents a particular deity.

Rudraksha tree

Of the 300 species of Elaeocarpus, 35 are found in India. The principal species of this genus is Elaeocarpus ganitrus, which has the common name of "rudraksha tree", and is found from the Gangetic plain in the foothills of the Himalayas to Nepal, South and Southeast Asia, parts of Australia, Guam, and Hawaii.^[9]

Elaeocarpus ganitrus trees grow to 60–80 ft (18–24 m). They are evergreen trees which grow quickly, and as they mature their roots form buttresses, rising up near the trunk and radiating out along the surface of the ground.^{[citation needed]}

Fruit:

The rudraksha tree starts bearing drupes (fruit) in three to four years from germination. It yields between 1,000 and 2,000 fruits annually. These fruits are commonly called "rudraksha fruit", but are also known as amritaphala (fruits of ambrosia).^{[citation needed]}

The pyrena of the fruit, commonly called the "pit" or "stone", is typically divided into multiple segments by seed-bearing locules. When the fruit is fully ripe, the stones are covered with a blue outer fleshy husk of inedible fruit. The blue colour is not derived from a pigment but is due to structural colouration.^[10] Rudraksha beads are sometimes called "blueberry beads" in reference to the blue colour of the fruit.