The fascinating thing about any singing bowl is that, despite common perception, they belong to the Tibetan tradition they are actually much older. Just like the body of the Sphinx that was built before the Egyptians started building their pyramids so do the singing bowls belong to the much older Bon, shamanic tradition which had existed since the beginning of history in Tibet. When Buddhism entered Tibet the two traditions merged to create the very particular type of spirituality that is the Tibetan Buddhism. The implications though are even more fascinating because Bon has many shamanic rituals in common with those found in Siberia which in would seem to indicate that they are both first hand branches of the first original Indo-European spirituality, putting the singing bowl on the same page as the Stonehenge standing stones or the Easter Island Moai Heads.
The great thing about the singing bowl, though, is that it has stayed and survived within a living, spiritual religion so although mysterious and wondrous in the way it works we still know more about how it is meant to be used, why it works and how it is supposed to be created so that it has the most powerful impact. Traditionally the singing bowl was created out of 5 metals, Panchaloha. Usually that meant copper, tin, zinc and iron and gold but antiques also contain silver, nickel and sky iron, which refers to meteorite elements. The 5 metals would symbolize the connection to the 5 states, air, water, earth, fire and ether with gold or preferably sky iron symbolizing ether in the makeup of the singing bowl. Sky iron is actually metal extracted from landed asteroids. It is very difficult to find a singing bowl containing sky iron but gold is much more commonly used.
And it is the blending of the 5 metals that creates the multiple harmonic resonances in the singing bowl. The sounds created though have a noticeable effect both on the mind and in the body. The mind is automatically more relaxed allowing for a deeper meditative state and the all the energy channels, Nadi-s, are cleared allowing for the energy to flow through them clearly. That means that most ailments can be healed just by channeling the sound to them. However unlike most of the other healing paths and methods the singing bowl presents no danger of damaging your chakras.
So the most important thing about a singing bowl is the Panchaloha and besides the craftsman ship and the art work going in the bowl the price should rise with the gold content of the bowl. The effects, however, depend more on your level of practice and your relationship with the bowl because as with any spiritual device it gets enriched with different spiritual entities so if you do decide on getting one remember that the only error you could make is not actually using your singing bowl.
That is why you should start off with something simple like the gorgeous Tibetan Meditation Yoga OM Peace Singing Bowl
Another great thing about it is that it is already engraved with the OM mantra which is the most solar mantra you could work with and is actually the sound that the singing bowl creates. Start by playing with it, just enjoying the sound and then, when the moment comes you can go on and get another and another. Don’t worry about that because as you start enjoying your first singing bowl you will naturally find your second.
When the time is right and you are able to distinguish the harmonies of your singing bowl you can move on to a more expensive bowl like this Exquisite 5 Inch Tibetan Singing Bowl Made in Nepal
This singing bowl is engraved with the Eye of Shiva which is the blossoming of your Ajna Chakra so it will be moving from your heart chakra which is the most accessible for a singing bowl to the higher control center symbolized on it. That is not to say that you will lose what you had gained with your first experience but that you will be able to control the energies much more easily.
When you start to feel the connection with the singing bowl and the energies it releases you can start using it as a healing device and it would be best to get a bigger one to work with like the Tibetan Singing Bowl- 9 Inch Brown Meditation Bowl
This singing bowl is actually made of 7 metals so you might consider enjoying it simply for the infinite harmonics it is able to create and the depth of meditation it will take you.
Of course there is not just one singing bowl and there are many more available so check out this link to find out more about the effects of the singing bowl and how it is meant to be used.