I have on occasion mentioned the best rosaries I have ever seen. They are made by a acquaintance and collaborator way back in the days when I was still involved with Compuserve! One of the participants started her own rosary making business and produced amazing things. She took a break for while but is now back at it.
Thus, I bring to your attention: Queen of Peace Rosaries.
I like to give them as priesthood ordination presents.
The ones I have had made over the years are beautiful, have a heavy feel to them, and are strong enough to pull a trailer if hitch gives out.
A few pics. Here is how they come.
They have a cloth bag.
I choose the more traditional looking elements. Big surprise there.
You can see how she wraps the wire around a couple times for added strength.
These are great – for yourself or as gifts for, perhaps, sacramental moments such as confirmation or ordination, even religious profession. I know one fellow who had two rosaries made for a couple getting married, identical except for color of the beads.
Check ’em out!
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They are beautiful but, unfortunately, substantially out of my price range. :-(
Beautiful!
I agree they are beautiful, but way too expensive for me. Besides, I already have at least 12 rosaries, including the one I received for First Holy Communion many years ago.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! These rosaries are truly beautiful, and beautifully made.
I make rosaries as gifts with sterling crucifix and center, and quality beads. I have not timed myself, but it probably takes 6-8 hours to make a rosary. That does not include the time it takes to pick out/purchase the components. I rarely spend less than $75-$100 for the materials for one rosary.
A good quality, sturdily made rosary is an investment, indeed. Wishing Queen of Peace Rosaries the best.
annie
A wee bit on the pricey side. Beautiful to look at, though… :-)
ALL: You get what you pay for! And these are nearly indestructible. A rosary like this can last generations.
They’re really nice, but too pricey. I would probably never use it because of fear of losing it. I would have to get it insured for peace of mind. While I do have one rosary I never use because it falls apart, I have several other inexpensive ones that stay together quite nicely because of how they’re made. Then again, I don’t use mine to double as safety chains for my trailers.
Yikes! I like the one you got, but at that price….
I use to make rosaries also although not even close to as fine as these. These are just beautiful!! I could never afford to spend that amount of money on a rosary and the fear of losing such an expensive one would not be worth the angst for me. I get the investment part Father, but as much as we use ours it would only be a matter of time before it was lost.
My husband and I purchase our rosaries from The Rosary Workshop. Large selection, antique beads, reproduction antique crucifixes and centerpieces, and they also do repairs. I agree that while the rosaries from these two providers are expensive, they are well made of quality materials. A pile of pebbles in a pocket would accomplish the task of counting the prayers while one prays, but these rosaries, once blessed and set apart from other possessions enhance the prayer experience, just as beautiful vestments and architecture enhance the experience of the Mass.
Beautiful!
I have a rosary blessed by Pope John Paul 2 and one blessed by Pope Benedict 16… I treasure them.
Beautiful.
…posted this on fb. Im waiting to hear the Judas line..”why wasnt the money given to the poor.” These are heirloom quality rosaries that will last…dont know how many times Ive had rosaries fall apart in my hands.
Very beautiful..not your common rosaries. I also think “All Beautiful Catholic Beads” out of Australia makes some uncommon rosaries: http://totapulchrabeads.blogspot.com.au/
..love their “tenners”
Very beautiful rosaries. I once learned how to make rosaries just like these and found they are incredibly easy to make (if I can do it, anyone can!), and yes, they are nearly indestructible. If you make them yourself, you can make them for as little as $30. The price goes up, of course, if you use more expensive materials. If you can use your hands, and have the time to learn how to make them (I learned in less than two hours), you can save yourself a lot of cash, be able to give beautiful, quality rosaries as gifts, and have a skill that can last a lifetime! They also make a great parish/organization fundraiser.
Magnificent, a true heirloom, but what would Pope Francis think? I, on the other hand, would very much enjoy the quality and will be saving up for a set or two thinking that my children might appreciate them many years from now.
I have the wall version of that crucifix right on my wall right now. Lovely choice.
What a coincidence that these two postings appear on the same day.
From 7 Questions: David Calvillo, an interview with David Cavillo, author of “Real Men Pray the Rosary”. The interview was conducted by Timothy McCormack:
5) I really appreciated your “Tool Box” question for chapter 3 concerning having a well-made, high quality Rosary for praying. On my blog, I often discuss this same issue in regards to owning a well-made Bible, not simply the cheapest paperback available. Why, then, is it important for men to have a high-quality Rosary instead of one of the many plastic ones you see in churches or those we seemed to get mailed to us from various Catholic agencies each month?
There is a physicality that is part of praying the Rosary that appeals to men. If we have a good quality Rosary in our hands as we pray, then it “feels good”. Not only does it feel good in our hands when we have something sturdy and weighty in our hands but it also feels good to know we’re doing something manly and natural for our families and ourselves when we take that weapon and pray it. We’re taking care of business: taking care of our ladies and our families! The Rosary. Don’t leave home without it.
“Im waiting to hear the Judas line..”why wasnt the money given to the poor.” ”
Why wasn’t the money given to the poor Father Z? You could have bought 356 plastic rainbow colored fabulous rosaries for each of them instead! /sarc.
I have two. One that does not travel with me (a small red and black rosary that I can cover in my hand, and one that does, a small white plastic rosary that was a gift to me at my confirmation. Mary looks out for me on my wanderings. :)
Lovely Rosaries. I took a couple of jewelry making classes and make our own. It is really fun to do. It also means that my favorite Rosary has been repaired lots and is the next one on my list to re-do completely with some new skills I have learned. Looking at her work has me inspired to add some bead caps when I do the work to remake this Rosary.
I have one a friend prayed on for a year and then, when I first became Catholic she gave it to me. I had one that I enjoyed that I had made and used for a long time and when a friend was discerning about the Church, I sent it to her. :) Rosaries are special that way!
@ Charles E Flynn — you, Sir, touch on part of the mystical nature of the Rosary. There is something in heft of the thing that focuses the physical mind and the spiritual mind, which a chintzy plastic one cannot do — something in the solidity that makes it approach the heft of a tool — something in the permanence of a stout, quality rosary that draws, that beckons, that soothes, that satisfies. I have one of wood, from Fatima, that sits. I have one of stone and one of hematite (iron, really!) that just always seem to get far more use.
I intend to make one of blued steel …
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I have a few of these. They are quite unbelievable!
I got one of these rosaries years ago (when Father Z first wrote about them) for their beauty rather than durability. In Sacramentum Caritatis Benedict XVI wrote
This relationship between creed and worship is evidenced in a particular way by the rich theological and liturgical category of beauty. Like the rest of Christian Revelation, the liturgy is inherently linked to beauty: it is veritatis splendor. . . . Beauty, then, is no mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation.
Might not the beauty of such a Rosary contribute to private devotion in a way similar to the contribution of beautiful vestments to liturgical worship?
How interesting! I have found the way a rosary feels in my hand actually does make a difference! I never really enjoyed holding some rosaries because the metal felt cold in my hand. I blamed myself. Seems a terrible thing. But, I have a new rosary that I chose based on how the beads felt smooth and substantial enough in my hand, and not cold. I never considered that others may prefer different kinds of beads, etc., as I do.
Fr. Z. these rosaries are absolutely beautiful!
I make knotted chord rosaries from black fishing twine that I buy at Walmart (big skein for $8). Of course, I have to either buy the little crucifixes, or take the time to make the cross out of twine (the ones with the crucifixes look far better!). I usually make them, get them blessed, and hand them to folks as freebies. And they’re pretty sturdy, unless you pull to hard on the crucifix for those that have them. But that’s easy to fix.
I used to make rosaries as well, but relatively inexpensive ones with jump rings and eye pins (I still occasionally do repairs on store-bought rosaries). I love the look of Queen of Peace Rosaries, but, like Tamara T., I’d be afraid to pray on them for fear of them getting lost.
Usually I pray the Rosary on a wire-wrapped rosary with 6 mm pale blue opalite Aves and 8 mm dark blue glass Paters from Unbreakable Rosaries that I bought several years ago. I paid $42 (not its full price), which was expensive for me, but considering how much use I have gotten out of it, I think it was worth it.
Hello Fr. Z –
Thank you for letting me know about Queen of Peace Rosaries. I just now ordered a bracelet for my wife. I am also going to place a QOP rosary on my Christmas list.
God bless !
If you’re looking for sturdy, well made rosaries at a reasonable price, I recommend Battle Beads. After my father’s death, I wanted to use part of my inheritance to help the students at the local university’s Catholic Student Center. I saw the cheap plastic rosaries (the kind you give to children) that were being given out and decided to provide something that the students would actually want to use. I ran across her site based on a friend’s recommendation and was extremely pleased with the results. Very strong, nice heft — these are rosaries for adults, not children.