Our Rosaries and Prayer Beads

Our olive wood comes from the town of Bethlehem. It is harvested from the prunings and trimmings of the ancient olive trees that grow there. Olive trees are known to grow to a very great age, and it is certainly possible for trees to be alive now that were growing in the time of Christ. The trees grow shoots and branches that interfere with their ability to produce fruit, and these are carefully cut away each year. Our supplier uses these trimmings to produce beads, crosses, and other beautiful and useful items.

This Anglican rosary is made of 8mm Bethlehem olive wood Weeks beads, carefully hand knotted on sturdy 100% cotton cord. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are also Bethlehem olive wood, as is the simple Celtic cross. Your prayer beads will include a certificate of authenticity from our supplier.

Quantity discounts are available for this and all our olive wood rosaries. Please inquire using the comment form.

he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

The Invitatory and Cruciform beads of this compact Anglican rosary have always inspired me to contemplate the humility and humanity of Mary, the mother of Jesus and his first disciple. The beads are contemporary Kiffa beads. Made in Mauretania according to age-old methods, they are made only by women and worn only by women. They are hand decorated with powdered glass before firing. Young girls would have been drawn to them even back in the time of Mary.

The Weeks beads of this Anglican rosary are aragonite in a pale, delicate yellow that sets off the simple, bright Kiffa beads. The Kiffa beads themselves are ornamented with bits of bright citrine and simple sterling silver flower caps. The sterling silver openwork cross is contemporary.

Like most of our rosaries, these Anglican prayer beads are one of a kind.

Type of the wise who soar, but never roam;
True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home! - William Wordsworth

The beautiful lines above come from William Wordsworth's "To a Skylark." This simple rosary of glass beads reminds us that we can do the same. The cross reminds us of heaven while the beads, like bits of red and yellow calico from an old quilt, speak to us of home. I've used seed beads in a rainbow of bright colors to add a joyous feeling to the rosary.

The cross is one of my favorites--recast in bronze from a Mexican original, it includes a heart at its base to ground us in God's love.

Unlike most of our rosaries, this one has a more secular story to tell; but it's still a story of great love.

The beautiful turquoise stones of this Anglican rosary came from a small mine in Nevada called the "Darling Darlene." Mines out West can certainly have fanciful names, but I wondered for a long time who Darlene might be. Was she the wife or mother of a pioneer? An intrepid single woman who came west alone? I wondered every time I looked at the stones until I finally learned the answer. Darlene was a little girl, much loved by her family, who died of an illness before she was five years old. Years later, her father and brothers found a deposit, staked out a mine, and named it for the little daughter and sister they loved and missed so much.

The turquoise itself is a lovely clear blue with small, well drawn dark matrix. I have paired it in this rosary with red carnelian to remind us of the sunset colors and beauty of the West. The small woven cross is sterling silver.

Like most of our Anglican rosaries, this one is one of a kind and cannot be reproduced. I've been unable to obtain any more turquoise from the mine with the mysterious name.

Everything about this beautiful Anglican rosary suggests the "celestial fire" of the Holy Spirit.

All of the beads are "fire agate," a material from Mexico that is treated with heat to give a flame-touched, crackled appearance to the outside surface, while the inside of the bead remains stable and untouched. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are shaped to suggest the tongues of flame that rested on the heads of the Apostles. The Weeks beads, of the same material, are round. Separating beads for this rosary are small rondelles of red carnelian, and the same carnelian is used to crown the large beads.

The beautiful sterling silver cross is re-cast from a rare original that came from Ecuador. The base of the cross rests on a design of flames. An inspiring Anglican rosary for Pentecost, Confirmation, or all year round.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

"The Earth is the LORD's"

This has been one of the most enduringly popular Anglican rosaries on Atelier-Beads since I first designed it five years ago.

The large seed of the tagua palm provides a substance often known as "vegetable ivory." It is tough, durable, and beautiful. Easily polished, it shows the same organic "grain" as cut pieces of elephant ivory. In fact, it is now being used by European makers of fine jewelry in applications where elephant ivory would traditionally have been used. It is sturdy enough to be formed into shirt and blouse buttons. People in Central America who harvest the tagua are able to earn a good income by forming it into beads, sculptures, chess pieces, and other objects. Best of all, it renews itself naturally each year.

We learn more about elephants all the time. Apparently they are self-aware, just as we are, recognizing themselves in a mirror as we do. We also know that they mourn for days when a member of their group dies or is killed. Yet their lives are taken every day simply to acquire their tusks.

This Anglican rosary uses tagua beads, dyed brown with coffee, as the Weeks beads. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are made of the seed or root of the bodhi tree, traditionally used in Hindu prayer beads. (Whether seed or root is used depends on the material I am able to acquire when the rosary is made.) The rosary is hand-knotted on sturdy cotton cord, and it is finished with a bronze African cross. It is a wonderful way to show good stewardship and respect for God's Creation.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

This seems particularly appropriate as I finished this Anglican rosary a couple of days ago while we prepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Irene. I'm adding it to the list on a morning of brilliant sunshine, calm winds, blue skies, and blissful temperatures.

All of the beads of this Anglican rosary are sodalite, a blue mineral with white inclusions. The large Weeks beads are beautifully faceted in a deep blue with strongly contrasting pure-white bands. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads, crowned with silver rope caps, are a softer blue with swirling inclusions.

The cross is sterling silver, recast from an African original.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls. - Job 28.18

Tawny, natural mother of pearl in its unbleached form makes a lovely, serene Anglican rosary. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads have been delicately carved into roses, while the Weeks beads are smaller, plain rounds. Each large bead has been capped with bronze.

The cross on this Anglican rosary is bronze. It has been recast from an old cross dating back to the Renaissance. The five circles represent the Five Wounds of Christ.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

This Anglican rosary is made of 10mm Bethlehem olive wood Weeks beads, carefully hand knotted on sturdy 100% cotton cord. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are also Bethlehem olive wood, as is the simple Latin cross. Your prayer beads will include a certificate of authenticity from our supplier.

Our olive wood comes from the town of Bethlehem. It is harvested from the prunings and trimmings of the ancient olive trees that grow there. Olive trees are known to grow to a very great age, and it is certainly possible for trees to be alive now that were growing in the time of Christ. The trees grow shoots and branches that interfere with their ability to produce fruit, and these are carefully cut away each year. Our supplier uses these trimmings to produce beads, crosses, and other beautiful and useful items.

Quantity discounts are available for this and all our olive wood rosaries. Please inquire using the comment form.

This simple Anglican rosary is made in soft, dignified tones of brown, black, and tan. The Weeks beads are agate in a rich coffee color with swirling inclusions of lighter and darker brown. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are of bronzite. It is a fairly new material on the market and resembles its name--a deep, rich bronze color with darker and lighter flecks. Each large bead is capped with simple bronze ropes.

The cross on this Anglican rosary is of African origin, recast in bronze. The rosary will perfectly suit a man or boy, or anyone looking for quiet, dignified color tones in a sturdy, durable rosary.

The Anglican rosary is one-of-a-kind.

Our olive wood comes from the town of Bethlehem. It is harvested from the prunings and trimmings of the ancient olive trees that grow there. Olive trees are known to grow to a very great age, and it is certainly possible for trees to be alive now that were growing in the time of Christ. The trees grow shoots and branches that interfere with their ability to produce fruit, and these are carefully cut away each year. Our supplier uses these trimmings to produce beads, crosses, and other beautiful and useful items.

This Anglican rosary is made of 10mm Bethlehem olive wood Weeks beads, carefully hand knotted on sturdy 100% cotton cord. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are also Bethlehem olive wood, as is the Jerusalem cross. Your prayer beads will include a certificate of authenticity from our supplier.

Quantity discounts are available for this and all our olive wood rosaries. Please inquire using the comment form.

De colores son los pajarillos que vienen de afuera...

This bright and cheerful Anglican rosary conjures up the little birds in the beloved Cursillo song that come from far away. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are carved from stone to resemble Southwestern fetishes. They alternate on the rosary between red and bright, turquoise blue. The Weeks beads are the round, sturdy Czech glass beads affectionately known as Druks. The Celtic cross on this Anglican rosary is gold-tone. It is USA-made lead free pewter. If you need cheering up, or if you know someone who does, these delightful Anglican prayer beads are just about guaranteed to get the job done.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

Brilliant, semi-translucent blue agate in a palette of sky colors forms the Weeks beads of this Anglican rosary. The subtle colors range from a deep turquoise through a pale, almost white blue, with a touch of blue-green as well. They are beautifully supported in this rosary by 8mm Swarovski crystal rounds in peridot. The beads convey an image of sparkling woods and sky washed clean after a rainstorm.

This Anglican rosary is finished with a sterling silver cross that is re-cast from an antiquity, a cross originally made in the Renaissance.

It is one-of-a-kind.

Here is another Anglican rosary with a Eucharistic theme, this one centering around wine and grapes. The amethyst Weeks beads of this rosary are beautiful--some of the loveliest, clearest amethysts I've had in a long time. They are perfectly suited to the Invitatory and Cruciform beads of a lighter purple amethyst, carved into old-fashioned melon shapes. Each large bead is set off by sterling silver rope caps.

The sterling silver cross of this Anglican rosary is formed to represent three entwined stalks of grain.

These Anglican prayer beads are one of a kind.

a parcel of wisdom fetches more than red coral

This Anglican rosary is as rich and beautiful as Job's description of the value of wisdom. The bright red Weeks beads are "limestone coral." Since Nature's coral is made of the chemical calcium carbonate (just like limestone), it is possible to manufacture beads that beautifully resemble the real thing, without endangering any living things. These limestone coral beads have a high polish and a beautiful, vivid color. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are bright, gold citrine cut into old-fashioned oval leaf shapes.

The cross of this Anglican rosary is highly polished bronze, recast from an Ethiopian original that has a "woven" pattern.

This rosary is one of a kind.

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

This tiger-eye Anglican Rosary will be treasured during Advent, at Christmas, and all year round. The Weeks beads are faceted tiger-eye. The facets catch the inner brilliance of this "cat's eye" stone, reflecting it back with beautiful sparkle. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are faceted citrine, beautifully cut and of a rich, deep color. They are set off very simply with small vermeil caps.

The Anglican rosary has a cross that has been recast in highly polished bronze from a beautiful Ethiopian example. The cross has a woven appearance. While large, it has been carefully executed so that it is lightweight and comfortable to handle.

As with all of our Christmas collection, this Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

Personent hodie voces puerulae - 

On this day earth shall ring with the song children sing -

This Anglican rosary is based on the wonderful medieval Latin carol traditionally sung by boys. It became a particular favorite of my older son, Gregory, when he was a young chorister. He told me just recently that at the time, he had no idea what the words meant--he just loved the way the carol sounded. I make this rosary each year at Christmastime. It's especially appropriate this year since Gregory and his wife are about to become parents for the first time.

The Anglican rosary is made of vintage (1950's) fine Venetian millefiori beads about 8mm in size. This year's Venetian beads are a great deal finer and more delicate than the 1970's versions I have used in former years which are no longer available to me. These beautiful beads have a red ground, which makes them very festive. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are simple rounds of shiny 10mm black onyx.

The cross of this Anglican rosary is recast in bronze from an original that dates back to the Renaissance. It is called a "Five Wounds" cross because its circles depict the Five Wounds of Christ. I have also heard it called the "Pilgrim's Cross." This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

A simple, beautiful Anglican rosary that will bring a little bit of joy all year round.

As a small child, I wasn't sure I liked the single, bright rose-pink candle among the purple candles on the Advent wreath. It somehow upset my sense of symmetry. In later years, our church (which had ultra-modern architecture) used deep blue altar hangings for Advent, and I hastened to adopt deep blue for our family Advent wreath. One day a clergy visitor said, "You're the only family I know who has a Sarum-rite Advent wreath." The following  year, I re-visited the traditional violet and rose, and rose is what this Anglican rosary is all about.

The Weeks beads of this Anglican rosary  are delightful Peruvian opals that range in pink from deep to delicate. They're interspersed with natural mother-of-pearl Invitatory and Cruciform beads that have been deeply carved into a subtle rose pattern. The combination of cream and pearl is very feminine. It's a delight to the eyes and the hands. The cross is recast in bronze from a Renaissance piece.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.

Holy light, warm our night,
Warm our time of winter.

An Anglican rosary to warm the heart and delight the eyes and hands. Citrine is my birthstone, and I've used two cuts for this rosary. The Weeks beads are brilliantly faceted, a rich and deep gold. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are also citrine in large smooth rondelles. They have inclusions that reflect the light beautifully.

The cross for the Anglican rosary is recast in bronze from an African original. I treasure it for its woven pattern and its fairly large size.

This Anglican rosary is one of a kind.