A Guide to Choosing Your Rosary
Every rosary has its own character, shaped by its materials and construction. Below I’ll walk you through the main choices to help you pick or construct the best rosary for you or a loved one.
Chain Rosaries
Chain rosaries have such a beautiful aesthetic and are often chosen due to their elegance and tactile feel. While gorgeous, they can be prone to tangling and can come apart if handled roughly. To try and minimise tangling, I make my own links between the Our Father beads and the Ave beads as I find long, premade chain is what causes the most tedious tangles. To minimise chain separation I use a sturdy 20 gauge wire so they won’t come apart at every tug. I typically reinforce the Our Father bead with a wire wrapping technique.
Corded Rosaries
Corded rosaries are much more durable than chain rosaries. They don’t tangle easily and aren’t prone to coming apart. The cord I use boasts a 45kg strength test, not sure why that would come in handy for praying the rosary, but thought I’d share. They’re much more forgiving if you plan to carry them in your pocket, backpack or handbag or if they’re intended for the hands of children. The drawback to corded rosaries is that due to the thickness of the cord, it drastically reduces the variety of beads that can be threaded on. Corded rosaries will also feel much stiffer than chain link but may soften over time.
Spacer beads or no spacer beads? I make my corded rosaries with two options in mind to suit your preference to pray. A spacer bead is a tiny bead that sits between each prayer bead to keep them evenly separated. The whole rosary will glide through your fingers. No spacer beads mean the beads will glide along the cord much like an abacus – I make sure to leave enough room between the knots so that the beads have room to move.
Glass or Gemstone?
Beads can vary significantly in both quality and durability depending on what they’re made from and how they’re made. I will indicate on each product listing what materials have been used.
Regular Glass Beads are an affordable option and often feature a coloured varnish or finish. With regular handling, this outer layer can gradually soften, flake or wear over time.
Czech Glass Beads are produced using coloured glass, meaning the colour is integral to the bead itself. This results in greater durability and long-lasting consistency, even with frequent use.
Austrian Crystal and Glass Beads (including Swarovski and Preciosa) are precision cut glass beads with high-quality protective coatings designed to resist wear from skin contact, perfumes and cosmetics.
Gemstone Beads are a solid material throughout, their colour is inherent to the stone itself and does not rely on surface finishes.
Silver or Gold?
This comes down to personal preference. Gold crucifixes and centres are more prone to tarnish over time as they’re coated. Both the silver and gold wire that I use to make chain rosaries are tarnish resistant.
Bead Sizes
My rosaries come in two size options – 6mm and 8mm. I generally use a larger Our Father bead to help distinguish it. For ready-made rosaries please check the description as I will state the sizes.