Traditional 108 bead mala made of hand-carved yak bone beads dyed black and then carved with the Om symbol.
Since the bone beads are hand-carved, bead sizes vary, but for the most part the oval beads measure 7mm by 8.2mm wide. The beads are not knotted in between.
Sometimes the carving of the beads and the color of the tassels vary, but typically red cotton.
Om meaning:
The Om symbol is a spiritual symbol in Hinduism. It is also a syllable and as a syllable is called a pravana. Om has a syllable dates back to the Upanishads, which is a set of mystical books about the Vedanta philosophy. Om is considered a sacred sound and is used a tool for meditation by a long expression of its sound: ooooohhhhhhhmmm. It is a mantra in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Om is the first word of the mantra Om Mani Padmi Hum and scholars interpret this to be the totality of sound, existence and consciousness.