About 3,000 years ago, so goes the tale, countless people died in a pestilence that hit the Himalayan region. It so happened that one day, the Goddess of Wisdom was flying over the Himalayans. Seeing how the people were suffering, the Goddess began throwing “heavenly flowers” which, upon landing on earth, instantly changing into Dzi beads. A healthy person who happened to pick up a Dzi bead would be protected from the pestilence and a sick person would be cured.