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Welcome to Best Singing Bowls!

Best Singing Bowls specializes in providing great sounding antique Himalayan and Tibetan singing bowls for sale at fair prices to customers worldwide. Founder Ryan Sarnataro has over 40 years’ experience with antique singing bowls, almost unparalleled in the field. Ryan does all the buying, takes all the photos [even the three orange clad Sadhus], makes all the recordings and has written all the articles. I also deal with each order personally and answer all inquiries.

In my many trips to the Himalayas I have cultivated relationships providing uncommon access to many of the best antiques flowing out of the countryside. My experience with singing bowls, having rung hundreds of thousands of them, is deeply visceral. This ensures that any bowl you see here is genuine with certificates of authenticity an available option. I maintain a curated stock of thousands of antique bowls, undoubtedly the largest collection of such high quality pieces in the United States. It is the equivalent of a singing bowl museum except much larger. Included in that stock are ones that I bought many years ago. The 400-500 bowls with photos and individual sound clips you can see on the site today are a small subset of what is available. That vast backstock allows me to be extremely specific in responding to requests and custom set assembly. Not every bowl here is “the best.” Then again, even the less than greatest bowls here are REALLY nice. I don’t buy anything I don’t like. Some have quirks and flaws, some play better this way or that, some sing longer than others, some are simply exceptional. What you can count on is my professional opinion on such matters in the detailed product descriptions I write while listening deeply to each bowl and deconstructing its soundscape. Finally I am here to answer questions, advise and especially assemble flowing sets of singing bowls. Whether three bowls or a hundred, we can put together amazing world class collections. I can work from a general idea or exact specifications. Just read a few of the reviews from people who have worked with me..

Genuine Antiques and Exceptional Sound

There is a quality to old handmade sound singing bowls that simply can’t be replicated in shiny, new machine made brass. This website is focused entirely on antiques dating from the 15th to the early 20th century. It isn’t enough to be an antique to qualify as one of the best. Great sound is vital! We go to extraordinary lengths to make sure each and every singing bowl for sale meets our standards for exceptional sound. Some of the magic you will hear as you play the sound clips is due to the attention paid to harmony, balance, complexity and sonic coherence. All the antique singing bowls for sale have uncommon depth as they all were chosen out of the many thousands, even tens of thousands, that flow out of the Himalayas every year. Best Singing Bowls puts a tremendous amount of effort into the procurement process so that we can offer the widest range of Himalayan bowls and excellent value.

Find Your Singing Bowl

We pride ourselves on providing the most comprehensive information and the best tools for for finding exactly what you are looking for. Our powerful filtering gives you the ability limit and expand your choices. The COMPARE feature lets you select up to a dozen authentic antique Himalayan singing bowls and then play them in whatever sequence you wish. This is a great way to hear subtle differences and ring groups together. You can then save your  list and even share it with me for comment<p>

Each Tibetan singing bowl for sale has two sound clips. The first let you hear a simple long strike with a mallet while a second features the rim being played in such a way as to allow you to hear multiple isolated individual tones. Recordings are unenhanced and natural. This way you can clearly hear the pure healing tones for sale. Instead of just one photo there is a gallery with different views and close-ups. <p>

Our extensive FILTERS allow you to narrow your choices by selecting ranges of size, price, notes, octaves and frequency. Filters even allow you to find special features like extra thick bowls, broad trims, circle patterns and Solfeggio tones. You are provided exact weight and measurements. The first tone you hear is labeled by its frequency in Hz and overtones are described by the note and octave. I try to capture the essence in a well written description. The goal is to make sure everyone who selects their own or receives one as a gift is happy with it. People send the nicest email so I know I’m getting it right at least some of the time!

Fascinating Journeys and Meetings with Remarkable Men

It is one thing to go to the library and quite another to journey to the Himalayas. I have traveled extensively throughout the region. My first journeys, long before the birth of this website, were part of an inner voyage. They were in their own ways pilgrimages that took me to out of the way locales. Some of the places I ended up in were meditation caves with their generally friendly guardians, hot springs with snakes slithering up the stone walls and temporary mountaintop gatherings led by local teachers. Decades ago you could still feel the embers from the past, now faded touchstones.

Then there are the commercial journeys focused on finding great old singing bowls. That is a whole story in itself, tracking down the trails by which antiques travel from a dusty back shelf to the market. Over the course of time I’ve had some amazing conversations with experts, enthusiasts and common people about the history of singing bowls. I have spoken with collectors who go out into the countryside on long searches. These men, and they are always men, speak many languages and know the local customs. Maybe surprisingly it is rare they are Buddhist practitioners. They don’t, as a rule speak English so I’m reliant on translators which introduces some fuzziness to the information. There is a lot of mystery here to be unwrapped.

Naturally, I have my own somewhat unique or even quirky take on these amazing objects and how they have made their way into the 21st century. This website is entirely devoted to genuine antiques because, well, I think there is something very special about holding something solid from the past. Of course there is also the smooth feel of old metal and the spectacular sound. Make no mistake, there is a finite quantity of really nice sounding antiques out there with fewer old brass bowls available each successive year.

When I was a kid American coins were still made from real silver and copper. Not only that but in the days before credit cards coins were used so much more heavily than today. All the time you’d get coins in change so worn that you couldn’t even read the date on them. I bring this up because there are some surprising parallels between today’s flow out of the Himalayas and what happened half a century ago in the USA to the common metallic objects you just might find in your pocket. It is an interesting story.

More to Come

I can’t tell you how many ideas I have about singing bowls and how much more information about sound, healing, and history I’d like to share. Some of my best promptings and sources have come from customers. It seems every month somebody comes along to stretch my mind. Well some people write a book, I’m writing a website. I will be expanding my writings on how to use and how to play your Tibetan singing bowl with insight about the interaction of sound, meditation, and prayer. I even have old photos with new publishing permissions waiting to be added to the Tibet section. In addition to static content I also know it would be very helpful if I made a short series of informative videos and especially playing techniques. All I can say is life s busy and I’d love to get to these projects and someday I will – so bookmark this site and come back every once in a while to see what is new.

The Complete Experience

To make your shopping experience complete, you’ll find a wide selection of accessories, including mallets, strikers, mats, and cover cloths. That, too, comes from my deep dive into sound – a wealth of very specific tools for accentuating the best in sound. If you’ve never experienced the precision and versatility of orchestral quality mallets, you’re in for a treat. They are easier to use and you can you’ll get so much more out of your authentic Himalayan singing bowls. We also have custom mallets and strikers made by Nepalese craftsmen to our specifications as well as Frank Perry’s hand turned wands from the south of England. We carefully pack our orders using recycled materials and handmade Nepali Lokta bark paper. Whether you are looking for a beautiful sound, special meditation bowls, sound healing and therapy bowls, or a museum-quality collector’s piece – Best Singing Bowls has one for you.

—Ryan Sarnataro – founder and enthusiast

Overview

What Our Customers Say

5.0
Based on 73 reviews
Kevin James Karas
Kevin James Karas
If you are looking for someone who can put together a really incredible set of authentic, high quality, antique singing bowls, look no further. Ryan, was incredible to work with and sent us a custom curated set that resonated deeply with our whole group. A+
Light Anchor Alchemy
Light Anchor Alchemy
Ryan is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the bronze bowls. He was very helpful and friendly answering questions and shipped my two exceptional bowls quickly. Thank you!
Chris Lobsinger
Chris Lobsinger
Fast delivery. Caring service. Authentic, curated bowls.
Jordan McCormick
Jordan McCormick
Great quality bowls and mallets. Very professional and personalized customer service. Ryan was really helpful in providing a custom order for my first set of bowls and mallets!
Organic Punk
Organic Punk
I had the best (pun intended) experience with Best singing bowls and the owner Ryan. I have purchased antique bowls from 2 other sources and Ryan provided a superior service and experience. Not only did I receive great customer service but all 6 bowls I got were far better in sound than my other bowls, so that tells me that a lot of care is put into what he selects.Thanks again!
Jae Hwan KIM
Jae Hwan KIM
I just received the products. It feels new to hear the sound of singing bowls right in front of me that I only heard on the Internet.Thanks to you, I have a precious experience!!!Also, with your recommendation, my singing bowls set has become perfect and rich. Your patience and service could not be better!!Thank you very, very much!!!
Bob Metivier
Bob Metivier
Ryan, your L6 medium mallet is amazing! Your attention to particular needs in detail is the reason I decided to make my purchases with you.
Aria Thome
Aria Thome
Ryan is absolutely amazing at his craft. He cares so deeply that you get matched with the right bowl(s) and will go out of his way to make this happen for you. His knowledge is unsurpassable and purchasing from him allows you to tap into his bottomless education and knowledge!!
Zara D'Souza
Zara D'Souza
My entire experience was so seamless. The website is so flexible and easy to navigate. For anyone looking to build a bowl collection, this is the right place to go. I highly recommend reaching out to Ryan. He was so helpful and supportive in guiding me and making sure I make the right decisions. His suggestions were spot on and Im glad I trusted him!! The shipping and tracking was really great as well. The bowls were well packaged when shipped to me. I got an email with the tracking info and Ryan was a great communicator during this phase as well. In the end, I am very happy with the set I acquired.
Zachary Newton
Zachary Newton
You are in excellent hands here with Ryan if you are just embarking on your singing bowl journey.I came knowing I wanted a deep resonant bowl or two when I initially reached out. This began a months' long dialogue with Ryan, who was nothing but patient and generous with his time, sending me recordings of additional bowls not on the website and answering my many questions. Over this period, I spent hours listening to dozens of bowls, beginning to figure out what resonated most with me and expanding my search from there. I ended up putting together a small set. When I found a few bowls I was pretty sure I wanted to be the core of this set, Ryan offered to put them on hold for me while I spent some more time listening to additional bowls. So whether you know exactly what you want, or you just have a vague inclination and see yourself at the beginning of a journey--like I was--you have come to a good place.When I finally made up my mind and ordered my bowls, they arrived impeccably packed and already sounding familiar after having spent months listening to their recordings. I have been very happy with them. In the months since, I have spent many hours playing them, and have even added a couple more. I am still on that Journey I began a year ago, and I continue to value the care and patience that Ryan puts into his work as a guide along my path.
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Huge selection of antique singing bowls with detailed information and two sound clips.
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