Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Vintage All Sterling Heirloom Rock Crystal Rosary with Medals

2008-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

This spectacular rosary is all sterling silver assembly with an Arco hallmarked crucifix in a popular design and an original centermedal. The quartz rock crystal beads are pear shaped and the paters are capped with sterling filigree.

Medals:
Memorial to St. Paul and St. Peter with special devotion to the Immaculate Conception on the opposite side.
Amazing art deco enamel silver Scapular medal with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary with Scapulars on the other.
Ornate St. Benedict's Exorcism Medal with scalloped edge

Large (1 inch from the bail) Scapular medal with a lovely Mary profile on one side and a very ornate and detailed image of Jesus on the other.

Ornate Large Brass Infant of Prague Medal

2008-05-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

This large solid brass (1" without the bail) medal has the Infant of Prague on one side and Marian Monogram on the other.

Lot of Four European Rosaries

2008-05-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

These are the typical souvenir rosaries found in in Europe (France and Italy) around the 1950s. The crucifix and centermedal sets are copies of popular styles seen in more expensive sterling silver rosaries.

2 of them still have their original tags on them.

Average hanging length: 17 inches

Average crucifix: 2 inches

Antique Olive Nut Rosary with Inlaid Crucifix and Medals

2007-08-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

Circa 1900s rosary made from the pits of olives with carved wood paters. The crucifix is made from inlaid ebony with a very ornate corpus. The center is a scapular medal.

Attached medals:

Oval miraculous medal
Oval Scapular medal
Round Papal medal of Pius XII
St. Joseph Medal
Additional cross attached at the drop

Hanging Length: 19.5 inches
Crucifix Length: 1.5 inches at the bail

Exquisite All Sterling & Crystal Heirloom Rosary

2007-08-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Fabulous large heavy rosary with faceted pyramid rock crystal beads from Catamore. This rosary has an all sterling assembly, including all attached medals. The crucifix is marked "catamore" and sterling. The Scapular center medal has a "Triple C" hallmark and a sterling stamp. The paters are separated by lovely detailed extenders.

Attached medals:

Large round French medal: "Mary Queen of Heaven". Translation: "O Mary, My Mother, My Sovereign, you are the very power and the very beauty".
800 silver hallmark blue enameled Lourdes medal.

Hanging Length: 24 inches
Crucifix Length: 2 inches

Canadian Ebony and Brass Inlaid Rosary with Unusual Aluminum Medals

2007-08-03T01:23:00.001-07:00

Though this ebony and brass rosary is beautiful on it's own, what makes it special are the many unusual aluminum medals attached at each decade.

Medals:

Elaborate Infant of Prague with Our Lady of Montigue on the back.
Miraculous medal P.P.N. ("Pray for us")*
St. Jean Batiste – patron of French Canadians. On the back is St. John – universal patron.
An ornate Scapular medal with the Holy Family
"The Saints of Canadians Matyrs" medal with the Sacred Monogram IHS surrounded by the crown of thorns.
A large St. Joseph P.P.N. ("Pray for us")medal from the Oratoire Saint-Joseph Du Mont Royale in Montreal, Quebec.

Hanging Length: 19 inches
Largest Medal: 2.5 inches

Vintage Pale Blue Glass Rosary with Matched Lourdes Medals

2007-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Lovely vintage glass rosary from the 1940s with hand blown glass beads. Each bead contains a cross, etched on all four sides within the glass. The paters are each capped and the assembly is all brass.

The centermedal is a cruciform medal depicting both the Miraculous medal and a Scapular medal. What really makes this rosary special are the four matched pale blue enamel Lourdes medals. An additional Notre Dame Lourdes Monogram medal hangs from the drop.

This rosary must have once been treasured by a devotee of Lourdes.

Hanging Length: 23 inches
Crucifix: 2 inches

Incredible Vintage Enamel Art Glass Rosary with Artist Tag

2007-08-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

This wonderful heavy Flemish Bohemian art glass rosary with 2 tone enameled inlaid crucifix and center is a rare one of kind with the tag signed by Angelroth in Kortenberg Belgium.

Attached Medals

A large Scapular medal with "Je suis par le Pére" ("I live by the Father") and "Mon Ame glorifie le Seigneur" ("My hear glorifies the Lord") with "Jaweh" in Hebrew and IHS. It is silvered brass.
Blessed Anne-Marie Rivier: Foundress of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary. Unique Medal signed by artist.
A signed Our Lady of Fatima medal
Two matched St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700) medals. She is the Foundress of the Congregation of Notre Dame and the Patron against poverty; loss of parents; people rejected by religious orders

Hanging Length: 20.5 inches
Crucifix: 1.5 inches

800 Silver Rosary with Bohemian Glass Beads

2007-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Classic art deco French rosary circa 1930's made from 800 silver assembly is marked and signed by the artist. The beads are white and pearlized in two-tone bohemian glass. The attached medal is a silver scapular medal in blue enamel.

Antique French Bohemian Glass Rosary with Ornamented Signed Crucifix

2007-08-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

Multifaceted beads made of sparkling amber colored glass with a shimmering overglaze give the beads incredible depth and character found only in classic bohemian glass. Adding to this rosary's charm and beauty is the detailed crucifix and many attached medals. Both the crucifix and the Scapular center medal are signed by the artist and marked "France".

Attached Medals:

"Madonnina Proteggimi" – "Mary Protect Us"
Saint Mutien-Marie Wiaux ("Frere Mutien-Marie Malonne") – a Belgian Saint.
A very tiny and ornate light blue enamel scapular: Mary Queen of Heaven and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
A tiny Round Miraculous medal
A gold tone St. Bernard de Menthon – Patron de la Montagne (a beloved Flemish Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Round Scapular with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Notre Dame de Bonsecours P.P.N.
Openwork scapular medal
A brass Sacred Heart medal
Brass 4 way medal marked Italy
Openwork Mary Queen of Night scapular medal marked Italy

Hanging Length: 21,5 inches
Largest Medal: 1.5 inches

Ebony Servite Seven Sorrows of Mary Rosary with Carved Paters

2007-08-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

This devotion to the Our Sorrowful Mother was originated in the Thirteenth century. It recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son.

HISTORY: The Servite Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows is a devotion that recalls seven sorrowful episodes in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The practice originated with the Servite Order (Servants of Mary), probably soon after the Order was founded in Monte Senario, Italy, in 1233.

The traditional symbol of the Seven Sorrows is the Sorrowful Heart of Mary, that is, a heart pierced with seven swords and topped with a flame representing her love for God and for all humanity. The swords refer to the Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2: 33-35). See the First Sorrow.

PRAYERS: The worshiper prays one "Our Father" and seven "Hail Marys" for each of the Seven Sorrows. The final prayers are: three more "Hail Marys", to honor the tears of the Sorrowful Virgin; one "Our Father", one "Hail Mary", and one "Glory Be" for the intentions of the Pope; an invocation to the Sorrowful Virgin (optional) and a concluding offertory (optional).

BEADS: Like the Holy Rosary, the Seven Sorrows is a "bead-prayer." Servite beads are designed to keep count of the prayers. They are not required to perform the devotion, however. There are 49 beads in the circlet, organized into seven sets of seven beads. Each set is preceded by a medal depicting one of the Seven Sorrows. The beads in the circlet are used to pray the "Hail Mary." The medals in the circlet are used for the "Our Father." The medal for the First Sorrow (The Prophecy of Simeon) closes the circlet. It connects to a pendant string of four more beads, ending with a larger medal depicting the Virgin of Sorrows. The beads in the pendant string represent the final prayers.

To pray the Seven Sorrows using beads: Start with the medal for the First Sorrow (the one that connects the circlet). Follow the beads and medals until you return to the First Sorrow medal. Then skip to the end of the pendant string. Pray one "Hail Mary" on each of the first three beads in the string. Use the last bead, the one closest to the First Sorrow medal, to pray the rest of the final prayers.

Information from: http://www.ixeh.net/faith/Seven-S/ss-00.html

Glorious All Sterling Silver Vintage Jet Rosary

2007-07-30T22:25:00.001-07:00

Wonderful engraved Sterling Silver crucifix with a Triple C hallmark and sterling stamp. The centermedal which depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary and three roses has a matching hallmark and stamp. The entire assembly is sterling with rarely seen cathedral cut jet beads.

Medals:

Sterling Hallmarked two color enamel Lourdes medal
Sterling Hallmarked St. Joseph medal
Round 800 silver Lourdes medal

Hanging Length: 22 inches
Crucifix Length: 2 inches

2nd Class Relic of Blessed St. Julia Billiart (martyr)

2007-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

The threads and wax are intact on this small reliquary of St. Julie Billiart, a Flemish saint: martyr and Foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

She is the patron against poverty and sickness.

Her feast day is April 8th.

¾ inches at the bail.

Early 19th Century French Art Nouveau Gold Tone Rosary with Bohemian Glass Beads

2007-07-29T12:24:00.001-07:00

These gold tone assembly rosaries are found only in Europe and the technique for their construction is a form of gold plating used in France at the end of the 19th century known as "FIX" where the gold is plated so thick that it tests as solid gold. This entire rosary tests as 14K gold for me. This gives the rosary an approximate age of 70 to 90 years old.

The construction technique for the beads as well, the bi-colored glass, specifically designed to look like agate is also a French creation and these lovely Bohemian glass beads look wonderful with the art nouveau crucifix, center, and attached medals.

These dainty rosaries from Europe are tiny treasures meant to be carried.

Attached Medals:

Matched set of 3 orange enamel gold plated scapular medals. Stamped FIX at the bail.
A tiny gold plated Scapular – signed by the artist on the bail and stamped FIX.
A gold plated St. Therese of Liseaux medal with the Latin inscription "Rosarium Imbrem E Coelo Effundam" ("I will let fall from Heaven a shower of roses") – Signed by the artist and stamped FIX on the bail

Hanging Length: 17.5 inches

Crucifix: 1.25 inches at the bail

Ebony and Brass Rosary with Trefoil Crucifix & Monogram Center

2007-07-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Amazing Ebony Rosary with a heavy brass trefoil crucifix and a lovely French monogram centermedal. Alone this rosary is quite wonderful, but the medals make it extraordinary.

Openwork 2 color enamel brass Lourdes medal
Shamrock shaped St. Terese of Liseux medal
Hammered Brass Miraculous medal
Square brass scapular medal
St. Ignatious of Loyola medal with dedication to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Hanging Length: 19.5 inches

Crucifix Length: 1 ¾ inches

Stunning Sterling Silver Gloria Heirloom Rosary

2007-07-20T10:47:00.001-07:00

All sterling silver assembly with pear shaped cut rock crystal. Each bead is capped with a matching pair of fluted sterling silver caps. Beautiful engraved extenders separate the paters.

Both the crucifix and the center bear the Gloria hallmark and sterling stamp. The wonderful open work crucifix is also a devotion to the Sacred Heart and the center is a Scapular Medal.

Attached Medals:

800 Silver 2 color blue enamel medal with devotion to the Lisieux Basilica in Normandy
Amazing ornate silver and enamel Lourdes medal with hallmarks on the bail.
N.D. des Lumiers Prez. Pour Nous (Our Lady of Light Pray for Us) Scapular Medal
N.D. de Deliverence de Souvret P.P.N (Our Lady of Sovereign Deliverance Pray for Us) with "Exaucez nous protegez nos Enfants" (Grant our children protection) on the back.
Leather case embossed with the image of the Blessed Virgin.

Hanging Length: 24 inches

Crucifix Length: 2 inches

2007-07-19T12:12:00.001-07:00

This rosary is really special. Each of the integrated gold tone medals depicts a different aspect of either the life of Jesus or Mary in sharp detail. The beads are round 6mm pale moonstone. The Marian centermedal is signed, but the real beauty of this rosary lies in the ornate crucifix with is etched on both the front and back.

In addition to the integrated medals, there is a large gold tone Our Lady of Lourdes medal attached. The gold tone St. Therese of Liseux medal is stamped "FIX" on the bail. This was a common process for gold plating during the 1940's for Art Nouveau Jewelry in France. The piece is not gold, but the plating is so thick, it will test as gold with jeweler's acid. It tested positive for 14K gold for me. It is a beautiful and intricate two sided medal. Gold tone, two color enamel Mary Queen of Heaven Medal attached at the drop.

Hanging Length: 18 inches

Crucifix Length: 1.5 inches

Vintage French Art Nouveau Rock Crystal Rosary

2007-07-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is an absolutely incredible vintage gold tone rosary with classic art nouveau styling in every detail, a beautiful devotional object from the artistic period that prevailed between 1895 and 1935 in Europe. The hexagonal centermedal and the crucifix are signed by the artist.

The beads are faceted rock crystal and capped with a ring at each end. The art nouveau theme is carried through the entire piece with delicate square linked chains separating the paters.

Hanging Length: 16 inches

Crucifix Length: 1.5 inches

Attached to this rosary are several wonderful and unique medals:
A Basilica of Lourdes – "Je suis immaculee conception" (I am the Immaculate Conception) medal.

At the center is a lovely pale blue enamel on brass Pope Pius X Papal medal with an image of the Blessed Virgin on the back. (The brass has an 80B hardness stamp on it – fairly unusual to see.)

A French Art Nouveau gold Plated (stamped "FIX"*) "Jesus the Shepherd" medal signed by "Tairac"
A 3nd Class "H. Bloed" Brugge Medal in red enamel – a relic that has touched the Holy Blood of Christ Relic in Bruges, Belgium, a most beloved shrine for Flemish Catholics.

* This was a common process for gold plating during the 1940's for Art Nouveau Jewelry in France. The piece is not gold, but the plating is so thick, it will test as gold with jeweler's acid. It tested positive for 14K gold for me. Tairac's work is quite common in the mid-1920's, giving an approximate age of the rosary of roughly 90 years old.

We're Back!

2007-07-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Elwing and I have over a hundred vintage european rosaries and other devotional items restored and ready to sell. Our goal is to try to get them sold over the next month and a half so look for lots and lots of auctions from us. We've saved the best for last!

Example: Check out this incredible Italian artisan rosary.

I normally don't have a tough time describing rosaries, but this one really defied description. I had to be seen to be believed. It's one of the most unique rosaries I've ever come across.

The rosary is all gold tone metal with a unique hallmarked crucifix in the style of famed European metal designer Ferdinand Py. I have never seen one like it before and the mixture of exquisite sculpting and inscribed Latin is awesome. The center metal is filled with detail showing Mary and Child surrounded by a host of angels.

The beads are made from "adventurine glass", a technique similar to "goldstone" (where copper flecks are suspended in molten glass and allowed to harden). These beads have suspended adventurine and so they have a deep forest green and black appearance.

This rosary has been sold.

Something New...

2007-04-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

I like taking pictures. I especially like taking pictures of people just ... being themselves. My favorite tools for this are my zoom lens and the "motor drive" on my camera. With it I can stand a couple hundred feet away and take bursts of about 8 pictures without anyone knowing I'm doing it. The result: relaxed, happy subjects and enough shots that I can pick the one where everyone looks their best.

I have other tricks too like a super fast 50mm prime lens with no zoom at all. Since it's just a piece of glass it's fast enough and lets enough light in that I can take pictures in a dark bar or movie theater and as long as people aren't moving around too much - they look pretty good. Focusing can be hit or miss because sometimes it's too dark too see - the camera sensor actually is picking up more light than my eyes can.

Anyway, I ended up with over 1000 pictures from fall 2006/Spring 2007. I spent about a week working on it - cutting together little sequences as study breaks and then finally putting it all together the weekend before Vetscapades. It was a blast to make and I was a little worried I'd get sick of the song, but I didn't.

I'm was (and am still) totally flabbergasted by the reaction this got. I didn't expect anything more than a few laughs. I really appreciate all the kind words. You guys are all too awesome.

Isn't this supposed to be a ROSARY web site?

2006-10-24T00:15:00.000-07:00

Vet School doesn't really leave much time for rosaries it turns out, but I did a lot of repair work before the semester started and a little bit of photography. Here's one of the rosaries that was pictured in pieces way back in June. It's all fully restored now and looks great with it's new beads and medals.

I don't have the rosary in front of me, but I know it's an all sterling silver assembly from Quebec with rock crystal beads. To stay true to the original - my restoration was also in sterling and rock crystal. (In other words, you can't tell the restored sections from the original ones.) I was playing with the depth of field on my new camera so as you can see, I am able to focus on area if I want. Here, I've focused so tightly on the front of the rosary with the macro lens that, the decades near the center medal are actually blurry.

I love that gorgeous little sterling 4 way cross so I've included a close up of just it. It's a wonderful medal all by itself and really adds a lot to the rosary.

First Week of School

2006-08-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

The Class of 2009 welcomes the new Class of 2010 with a friday afternoon waterballoon fight and a game of dodgeball.

Vet school started this Wednesday and all the rosaries are done and ready to begin listing. Now I just need to make sure I keep time in my schedule to do regular listing and mailing between studying. And boy do I need to. This year they assigned all new text books so I had to by them all brand new. Veterinary textbooks average around $100 apiece!

Holy Hiatus Batman!

2006-08-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've been gone for over a month!

So much has happened in that time that it would take pages and pages to write and you'd probably get bored reading it. The good news is that I have a lot of new rosaries to sell. And I mean a lot. I've been restoring and photographing them at an almost frantic pace trying to get them all set so I can list them during the school semester.

Elwing has sent me amost 30 new rosaries from Europe plus assorted other cool devotional items as well. I've also been doing a lot of sterling restorations and now have about 14 Gloria, PL, and other sterling rosaries to list. So in the coming weeks there are going to be a lot of rosaries coming your way.

The really big news is my new camera though which has improved the photography process a thousandfold.

With the SLR my pictures are so much better and the whole process of taking pictures is easier.

I also got to go to the Wizard World Comic Book Convention and saw Cirque du Soleil's new touring show Corteo.

I also took a lot of in progress pictures of the restoration process to I should be posting some tutorial type images soon too.

So, look for more in the coming weeks and days as I start organizing all my photos and rosaries and get ready for school!

Gorgeous Heirloom

2006-07-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

I've posted small preview images of this amazing rosary before, but I've never given it the write up it deserves. I love selling these because they are so fantastic to restore. They just get better and better.

Spectacular all sterling silver RLC rosary with capped rock crystal beads and twisted torsade extenders between the paters. This is a very heavy rosary, typical of rock crystal.

The Crucifix is very ornate and marked with "RLC" and "Sterling" on the back. The open work center medal is a scapular medal with an image of the Virgin Mary on the front and Jesus on the back. The sterling mark on the center is actual worked into the design on the back of the center. Each faceted crystal bead is capped with a pair of matched sterling silver caps.

As with all high quality heirloom rosaries, there is an additional soldered link at each connection. These make the rosary easier to display and help it slide through the hand without twisting or kinking.

Attached Medals:

Silver with blue enamel Lourdes Medal marked "France".
Sterling scapular medal (French) for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – signed with hallmarks on both the bail and medal.
Signed silver "Blessed Bernadette Pray for Us". The hallmark has been stamped onto the bail and it has a very detailed depiction of the apparition at the grotto at Lourdes.
Amazing detailed St. Michael medal
Hanging Length: 28 inches

Crucifix: ~2 inches

Small, but Still Packed with Good Things

2006-07-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Proof that the mysteries can fit in even the smallest packages:

These are the tiniest rosaries I have ever seen. Each has a hanging length of less than 12 inches yet they are complete, detailed, and beautiful. One could be a child's rosary and the other would make an excellent rosary for a doll.

Purple Rosary Hanging Length: 11.5 inches
Green Rosary Hanging Length: 8.5 inches

Deep Ruby Red

2006-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every thing is sterling on this beautiful Gloria rosary. The crucifix is fleur de Lys style with a burst of light behind the Corpus, it is marked "Italy" on the bail.. Both the crucifix and the stunning center medal are marked sterling and have a "Gloria" hallmark. The beads are a multifaceted deep ruby red that is just gorgeous when the sunlight hits them. Each bead is capped and ornate sterling silver links are used instead of chains.

There are 5 medals attached to the rosary.
o On the center medal, a solid sterling silver Lourdes medal with a French hallmark.
o On the first decade, an 800 silver and enamel eight sided Lourdes medal with a French hallmark.
o On the last decade, an 800 silver St. Benedict slide medal in the shape of a bell. Plus, 2 matched red enamel Scapular medals

This rosary really is a treasure!

The hanging length is 25 inches.
The crucifix is 2 inches tall at the bail.

Another Surprise from the 1920's

2006-06-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

This one surprised me when I did research after bringing it home- I expected it to be a recent item due to the clean and simple design, but it turns out to be a remembrance pin of the holy year 1925 in absolutely perfect condition. The detailed design in 4 shades of enamel is skillfully executed. I should have known - they just don't make them like this anymore.

From the Vatican Web Site: "A Holy Year, or Jubilee is a great religious event. It is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin, it is a year of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. A Jubilee year is above all the year of Christ, who brings life and grace to humanity." These Jubilee years happen every few decades. The last one was in the year 2000.

The rest of the Article can be found here.

The piece is approximately 1 inch in diameter.

This is the Coolest Thing Ever

2006-06-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you get something and you don't know what to call it, but you just know that it's really cool. I don't know much about this piece other than that it's in amazing condition for its age and it's beautiful.

The rosary it comes with, is amazing all by itself. And the book has that great mix of red and black text that a friend of mine calls "Catholic Typesetting".

An amazing find from Europe: this Dutch prayer book and rosary gift set is absolutely stunning and in perfect condition. I don't think the book has even been opened other than when I took the picture.

A picture is worth a thousand words which is why I took so many of this set. It simply must be seen to be believed. All the leather, from the book cover to the rosary case feels shiny and new. The rosary itself is a mother of pearl and silver rosary that is a find on its own. The prayer book is in Dutch and is entitled: "Salve Regina". Based on the date of the Imprimatur on the book, this set came from the 1920s. This book and rosary set is a special treasure from the past.

Dimensions:

Rosary Hanging Length: 17inches
Book: 4" by 2.25"
Box: 6.5" by 6" by 1"

A Special Devotion to the Popes

2006-06-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

This French rosary is nearly a kalidoscope of vintage parts. It was clearly broken and repaired during its lifetime, but as these additions and subtractions are vintage as well, they actually add to the interest and charm of this rosary.

The beads are 18 sided faceted jet. They have excellent luster and are free from chips and cracks, but they are also quite smooth from use. It is hard to imagine how much praying it would take to wear down jet! Special mention should be given to the chains between the paters, which are embossed with texture. Both the chains and the beads suggest that this was owned by a French nun as I understand that this type of construction was common in convents.

The crucifix is a very ornate St. Anne Beaupre 3 layer silvered brass crucifix. The bottom most layer has begun to show brass in some places. The most ornate layer has elaborate scrollwork. The center medal on this rosary appears new and added recently.

Medals: The former owner of this rosary must have had a particular devotion to the pope. Attached to it are 4 papal medals.
Pius XII
Pius XI
Paul VI
John XXIII
Hanging Length: 25 inches

Crucifix: 2 inches

Knot for Sale

2006-06-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

While I never set out with the intention to make anything but fancy rosaries, the news that the Rosary Army's apostlate was continuing to grow at a rapid rate, to the point that they were running out of various colors of rosaries to send out, combined with the news that their main twine distributor was having some difficulties, sprang me into unexpected action.

Here are 36 knotted twine rosaries with metal crucifixes ready to be packed up for their journey to Conyers where they will then be sent... elsewhere, to whomever asks for one. I did not make all these rosaries however, more than half of them were knotted by Aimee, who came over to watch the video the day my 2 spools of twine from the new Reicken and Sons Twine Store arrived. Aimee now has an insatiable appetite for rosary twine and turns them out faster than I can hand her 20 foot cut lengths. We've made another (larger) order of twine and crucifixes and are hoping to teach others from our church how to make rosaries. Not only is rosary knotting addicting, but it's awesome to be able to give something as fantastic as the rosary to anyone who asks for one. Priceless!

Aimee, happily carrying her rosary making addiction monkey on her back!

The Ardennes Offensive

2006-06-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about my adopted homeland, Belgium, is that for the price of admission you do not get one country, but three. There is Flanders where I live- flat and wide open, with Dutch speaking people and great cities like Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. Then there is Brussels, which can only be described as Brussels, and then there is the french speaking Wallonia region, home to the romantic Ardennes mountain range.

It seems to me the only thing the Belgians have in common as a people is their great love of food.

But I digress. My rosary hunting in Flanders has been a bit poor of late so I packed my tent and went looking a bit further down the road.

After passing trough places with names like Ehey, My and Aywaille there is a small town called Bomal where I set up my camp near the fast streaming river Ourthe.

Nearby Durbuy is one of a couple of places that claim to be the smallest city in the world. It is certainly small; a bit touristy but with good looks like this who can blame the tourists?
The thing with cities in Europe is that a town is only considered a city if it was given "city rights" or "letters patent" in the middle ages. This would be the right to build a wall, raise taxes, that sort of thing. After the middle ages the "city rights" thing became obsolete and this is the reason why in Holland the 500.000 inhabitants of The Hague get teased about being villagers- while the few hundred or so inhabitants of Durbuy can proudly claim to live in a city.

They may not be big, but man do they know how to treat a chicken!
It seems I do not stand a chance to win the battle of the bulge in the Ardennes.

Durbuy has been inhabited since the stone ages, but it seems it has not fared well economically in the last few centuries as it is just a few streets with ancient houses underneath a charming castle.

And it's all the better that way, of course.

After all that eating time to rest in front of my tent with my feet in the Ourthe and a bit of rose..."How European!" Says my Canadian friend online- Yes ma'am, I plead guilty!

Just a bit of wine, and then off to bed- there is work to be done tomorrow.

Wonderful place.Had a great sleep too, even though the streaming water nearby had an inspiring effect on my bladder. I will be back.

Next day- I went to Bomal with a mission. Every sunday this tiny town hosts a huge produce and flea market. I came for the flea bit- but the rest is not bad either.

The fleamarket part is indoors. Somewhere in this hall are 5 interesting old rosaries that will be making a long trip to the US of A soon.

After Bomal I move on to the abbey town of Stavelot which is holding a city-wide yardsale. Temperature is now about 90F and extremely humid-Sticky weather. There will be heavy rain later on, but I have a good catch and get out before the rain comes.

Race fans may know the name Stavelot- it is very near the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, known for formula 1 races.

Lunch Belgian style in a spotless "friterie" somewhere between Malmedy and Spa (known for the water, just like nearby Chaudfontaine).
The Belgians claim to have invented fries. This may or may not be true, but nobody can beat them when it comes to baking them.
Outside the little friterie the official Elwingmobile waits patiently...

And then, alas, it's time to go home. I wish I had more time, but at least I had a productive two days with a catch of 9 interesting rosaries (9 decades, anyone?) and various other neat odds and ends. Should do this again some time!

Did the Holy Spirit Make it Sterling?

2006-06-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are the follow up photos from my April blog entry about a pewter rosary that upon inspection I discovered to be silver:

The unusual crucifix design is what's known as a "Holy Spirt Crucifix". It is the only one I have ever seen "in person".

The hallmark is a triangular hallmark that is quite common on rosaries, but virtually uncatalogued on other types of silver. One of the difficulties with rosaries is that very little has been published about their hallmarks. Silver collectors tend to concentrate on larger pieces such as flatware and other tableware so that jewelry and in particular devotional silver jewelry is virtually undocumented. (I learned this during a weekend trip to our university archives to research Canadian silver hallmarks and discovered that not a single one of the hallmarks on my Canadian rosaries was included in their catalog.)

Seen all together the rosary is a wonderful combination of openwork sterling and sparkling tin cut jet beads. It is not a large or heavy rosary like many of the older sterling rosaries are, but it is definitely a beautiful and mysterious work of art.

There Simply is Not Enough Blue Enamel in the World

2006-06-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

These enamel rosaries from Belgium are my favorites. Nothing is more beautiful than the blue against the silver.

In this example the silver crucifix and centermedal are adorned with multiple shades of inlaid blue enamel for incredible detail and depth. Pearlescent 2 layer Bohemian glass beads in milk white make this lovely vintage European rosary a rare find.

Attached to the drop is a Mary Queen of Heaven medal of 800 silver in matching shades of blue enamel. It is marked "800" with a Swiss Hallmark. The opposite side shows the Abbey of"Maria Einsiedeln" in Switzerland. In addition on each of the first two decades are two silver plated medals: a small round Lourdes medal and a delicate little scapular medal decorated with roses.

And here's another example; it's similar, but not quite the same. The style of the crucifix and centermedal of the rosary above are very common in Belgium and Elwing runs across them quite often (and, knowing how much I like them, usually picks them up).

This rosary, while still displaying the amazing multifaceted enamelwork that I love so much, has a very different pattern within the metal of the crucifix and center making it a much more unusual find than the one above. They are both beautiful though, no?

The world definitely needs more of these.

The Rolls Royce of Rosaries

2006-06-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

I love these kinds of rosaries: big, heavy, d e l u x e. This is it folks. This is what fancy rosaries are all about.

This rosary is every bit a fine piece of jewelry as it is a devotional item. The matched crucifix and center medal are hallmarked "RLC" and stamped "Sterling". There is also an RLC tag attached to the rosary authenticating both the quality of the silver of the entire assembly (crucifix, center, and spacers), but the crystal as well.

On the drop, just above the crucifix is a tiny enamel and silver Scapular Medal.

Also on the drop is a Holy Family slide metal

On the first and last decades are two additional medals. One is a French Scapular Medal with the devotion "Notre Dame du Scapulaire Protegez Nous." (Our Lady of the Scapular – Protect us) The other is a silver plated Papal medal for Pope Paul VI the back of which shows an iconic image of St. Peter (with a key) and St. Paul (with a sword).

Brass Art Deco...

2006-06-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Solid brass crucifix and center medal with French Hallmarks demonstrate classic Art Deco style that is typical of a vintage European rosary from the 1930s. The jet beads are in flawless condition and the entire assembly is in brass. This rosary is in perfect condition.

On the drop - Brass Pontifical medal for Pope Pius IX struck during his papacy in 1854.

Also on the drop - A very unique large five sided brass Lourdes medal with inlaid blue enamel.

On the first decade - Blue enamel over white on a round copper devotion to the Shrine of the Holy Blood in Brugge Belgium.
The back of the medal depicts Jesus crowned with thorns and has a cleverly concealed "Italy" mark worked into the design.

Hanging Length: 16 inches

Crucifix: 1.5 inches to the bail

The Blessed Mother (of Pearl)

2006-06-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

This Mother of Pearl rosary has an assembly of all 800 silver. The original manufacturer's tag is attached.

The rosary has 2 medals attached as well. Both are on the drop and are solid hallmarked silver.

The first is an octagon shaped medal with the Blessed Virgin Mary on one side and the promise "je convertirai les pecheurs" (I will convert the sinners) on the other. I have never seen a medal like it.

The second medal is a French Carmelite scapular medal that has a very unusual image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on it. It shows Jesus in profile and says "Voila le couer qui a tant aime le homes" (Here is the heart with hath so loved man). The front side of the medal shows Our Lady of Perpetual Hope.

Hanging Length: 22.5 inches
Crucifix: 2 inches

Antique Rosary with Lampwork Beads!

2006-06-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here is something you don't see every day.

While seeing these wonderful old 1800s rosaries from Europe is not all that unusual (I see one every few months) seeing one that is both, in this nice condition and with lampwork beads like this is a really rare treat. I love glass beads of all sorts so this was exciting for me.

Modern technology has allowed lampworked beads to become very complicated, but in the past they were quite simple and this is a classic example of lampwork – the combination of two colors of glass, all done by hand. This rosary must have a very interesting story to tell.

Aside from the amazing beads is a brass crucifix with inlaid ebony and a very ornate society medal. It says: "Erant omnes perseverantes unanimiter in oratione" which is Latin for (roughly) "We're all steadfastly united of one mind upon prayer"

Integrated Medals

2006-06-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Each integrated medal is unique on this fantastic old ebony rosary from France. The Paters are carved wood and the Aves have been left plain. The six medals depict different images of the Holy Family (including several of the Mysteries of the Rosary) and the center medal shows a profile of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A heavy brass and ebony inlaid crucifix gives this rosary a lot of weight and a solid feel. Attached to the center is a solid brass French Miraculous Medal and a silvered brass St. Micheal medal* from the Mont St. Michael Monestary in Bretagne France.

From a 12 of 12 to the 12 Steps

2006-06-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I grew up with an alcoholic/addict in my immediate family and it's taken them a long time, but they have finally sought the road to recovery and have stayed on it for nearly a year. (Next month will be their one year anniversary actually.)

I saw on another rosary maker's site that they had made a simple 12 bead chaplet for people in recovery. There's was really simple - twelve knots (it was made from knotted twine) with a crucifix on one end and a St. Maximillian Kolbe medal on the other. (He is the patron saint of alcoholics.) I wanted to made something that was a little more me (ie. it's fancy) and was secular (since AA subscribes to "God as we understand Him" and that doesn't always mean crosses) for my family.

So I worked with my family on a set of AA prayers that could go with a 12 beaded devotion and since the Serenity Prayer figures in so big in AA I named them Serenity Beads.

Serenity Bead Prayers
On the first bead, pray a prayer of your choice.
On the green beads pray the Serenity Prayer.
On the silver beads pray the Our Father.
Close with the St. Francis Prayer.

12 of 12 for June

2006-06-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my 12 of 12 for June. It was actually a busy sort of day...

8:00am FOOD!
Once again forgoing the bleary alarm clock/one eye open picture in favor of what is truly the most important moment of every morning: feeding the cats.

9:30am PG Tips
Preparing sold rosaries to go out in the mail. I'm going to stop at the post office and mail them at some point during my day. Logan is on the table watching the birds at the feeder outside the window. I'm drinking a cup of tea in my favorite vet school mug...

10:50am ShackScaping!
I did some shack beautification over the weekend. I hung up planters and did some raking and sweeping around the place. It's looking more like a little gingerbread house in the woods than usual...

11:00am Biking Weather!
It's gorgeous out so I've left my car at the shack and taken my bike today.

11:30am No direction
Once again I find myself waiting for my spiritual director. I've been trying to received spirtual direction at my church for almost a year and something always happens so that I've never actually had a single meeting. Something has happened again today. Newman hall does have this nice fresco though...

11:40am Thank God for insurance
Since I'm not doing spiritual direction, I run some errands. I have a lot of prescriptions to fill. Like seriously. This is what sucks about migraines.

12:01pm Surrogate Sanctuary
During the summer we have daily mass in this small air conditioned room off to the side of the main chapel.

12:40pm Archway
Going from indoors to out after mass while talking to my friend Patrick who is visiting from Seminary.

1:50pm First day of class
I have my first summer session class in the Animal Sciences Laboratory here on the main campus. It's an 8 week class for 2 hours a day, five days a week.

4:05pm Aesop's Tower of Fable Power
I don't think this is the real name of the sculpture... It's outside the Urbana Free Public Library which is literally in the same alley as my shack and is less than half a block away! It's a great thing to have so near by. I've decided to borrow a movie or two. They have a collection of DVDs that rivals any video store and they are free.

5:00pm New Supplies
While watching my video (I rented the wierdest thing - the first part of the Shogun TV series. I've never seen it. It's pretty good) I look at some new stuff: 2 Gloria rosaries, a bunch of St. Christopher Vehicle badges that will be gifts, and 60 inexpensive crucifixes for the knotted twine rosaries I'm making.

7:00pm Homework
My first homework of the summer. I read and take notes on my textbook for class. It's a class about animal sex. Basically. My Breviary waits in the background because I haven't said the evening office yet.

Bonus Picture: Taken at 9am CST (7am west coast time)

Getting dressed. Way to make getting dressed look totally un-sexy. Woot!

This is looking Dangerously like an Art Photo

2006-06-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a box filled with broken rock crystal and sterling silver assembly rosaries. Doesn't it look nice in the sun? My shack gets early morning sun from the east and it looked so nice through the crystal so I thought, "There's today's photo." These need repair (some more than others) and a lot of TLC so it may be a little while before you see them again, but they are all lovely heavy sterling and rock crystal rosaries. I can't wait to see them all finished and decked out. Gorgeous!

"There's nothing like priests to screw up a good thing."

2006-06-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Monsignor Swetland, known for being extremely quotable and generally a good guy, is leaving my church as head chaplain this month. We had a big fancy Mass on Pentecost for his last Mass with a really fancy reception afterwards. They even had wine. He'll be missed. In particular, he used to address God in Hebrew when he prayed, which I particularly appreciated. So I'll miss that.

My favorite "Monsignor Moment" was when I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I asked him for some help since it is quite complicated for the beginner. ("Christian Prayer" - the one volume version, is a thick book with many sections and 5 colored ribbons.) His lesson consisted of: "Just put the ribbons in and Pray!"

The title of this is a Monsignor Swetland quote. For more Monsignor-isms, check out this page.

One of a Kind and Difficult to Sell

2006-06-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a rosary is so nice it's really hard to part with it even though I can't really justify keeping it. Here is such a rosary. Besides being awesome it just feels great in your hands. Bohemian glass is a lot like rock crystal in that it tends to be heavy and cool to the touch. The faceted beads have a slick feel and so the rosary slides though your fingers like silk.

You will never see another like this glorious rosary from the 1940s with all solid sterling silver assembly and two layer brown and white faceted bohemian glass art beads. The swirled art deco design on the crucifix is classic French styling with a unique maker's mark on the bail. The center medal is a scapular medal and devotion to the beloved Flemish Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel Shrine. The center medal has many marks on it including the artist's own signature and sterling purity mark.

The rosary has two medals attached at the drop:

A hallmarked solid 800 silver hexagon Lourdes medal
A signed silver Carmelite Our Lady of Montiagu ( Scherpenheuvel) scapular medal
Hanging Length: 20 inches
Crucifix: 1.5 inches to the bail

Red Treasure Chest

2006-06-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I received a new box of rosaries from Elwing on Thursday. I had a lot of fun opening the package with a friend from church and discoved it was an ornate red box that looked like a treasure chest wrapped in this way cool Romanian shirt. Here I am wearing the wearing the shirt and holding the box which is still full of rosaries, medals, and other goodies. I am standing next to a rather charming bit of graffiti that showed up next to the shack the other day. I think it's a cat but it could be a rabbit...

While walking back to the shack, I turned the box over and discovered it was made by Cartier.

Fooled by Lacquer

2006-06-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of those stories about how no matter how much stuff you see, sometimes it's just hard to figure out what you're looking at.

Elwing saw this rosary and saw flawless shining ebony beads. I looked at it, tapped it on things, and thought it sounded like plastic. It was too glossy and perfect to be wood and I couldn't see a grain under my loupe. I thought I'd nailed it when I saw what looked like seams. It was Bakelite. Plastic! The rosary was from the 1920s. I wrote this:

The oval beads appear to be ebony but are actually a very hard and shiny plastic called "bakelite" that was a used in the 1920s and 30s to make many different things, especially jewelry. These bakelite rosary beads would have been considered quite "space age" for their time. Offset by these very new materials is a very old style of rosary making. The links and pins are very typical of rosaries made 50 years before, with the pin threaded deep within each bead. The wrap style with which the crucifix is attached is also more typical for an older rosary. This rosary was most likely manufactured between 1922 and 1944.

And I even listed it as a "Large Bakelite Rosary". Elwing saw the listing and said "really plastic? I was positive they were wood." I'd been positive they were plastic, but I looked again and I found what looked like chip, but it looked like a chip in wood, not in plastic. So, what were they?! I had the listing up and we had no idea. The beads appeared to be both wood and plastic at the same time. Then it hit me. Lacquer. The beads were lacquered wood - so it was kind of both. It explained the shiny appearance as well as the "seams" (imperfections in the way the beads were dipped and dried). It's amazing how well lacquer can imitate plastic and yet at the same time, looks very different. There is a warmth not present in plastic (that I attributed to the fact that I didn't know much about bakelite and that it was a nicer material than I thought.)

It just goes to show how mysterious the rosary is...

5 Heirloom Rosaries

2006-05-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some Heirloom rosaries to look at. These are the rosaries that stand out because they are usually more expensive than your average rosary and meant to be looked at as much as prayed upon. Still, in the tradition of glorifying God by building grand cathedrals, these rosaries do the same, just in a smaller and more portable way.

Small RLC rosary

2006-05-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Proof that good things come both in small packages and to those who wait - here is my newest RLC rosary.

It's small, it only has a hanging length of 20 inches, but it has all original sterling silver hardware including filigree extenders and its original tag of authenticity for both the rock crystal beads and the silver. I haven't cleaned it or done any work on it yet, but I can't wait to see it when it's done. It's a beautiful rosary.

Red crystal and sterling rosary by Gloria

2006-05-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

The ruby red beads of this rosary can look almost black until the light shines through them, but they are really a deep deep red. Each one is capped in fluted silver. The whole rosary is silver including the filigreed extenders and the medals (though the 2 red enamel ones are silver plate). The center medal and crucifix are hallmarked "Gloria" and stamped sterling. The hanging length is approx 24 inches.

Sterling and Onyx Rosary from PL

2006-05-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Matte black onxy beads feel like silk to the touch. This rosary is also very new and so it hasn't been cleaned. It has a PL mark on the crucifix, but the centermedal is unmarked. The bright spot on the middle is where the seller (presumably) did an acid spot test on the silver. It will disappear once the piece is cleaned. Another test on a more hidden area of the centermedal confirms the 925 sterling content. All of the assembly of the rosary is sterling and the hanging length is approx 26 inches.

New Jet and Sterling Rosary

2006-05-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is a new rosary that I haven't cleaned or added any medals to. It has 20 sided faceted jet beads, open work spacers, and is all sterling. The crucifix and centermedal are both hallmarked with the triangular "catamore" hallmark. It has a hanging length of approximately 23 inches.

Crystal and Sterling Heirloom Rosary

2006-05-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

This rock crystal and sterling rosary has a hanging length of over 25 inches. The beads are 8mm and make the rosary very heavy. Each one is capped in silver. The medals are all silver and have maker's marks on them. This rosary was made by RLC and is marked sterling on both the crucifix and centermedal.

It should sell for between $65 -$85.

Accept no imitations

2006-05-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

The unfortunate truth is that there are fakes everywhere, even in the business of vintage rosaries. Classic designs by Gloria, LP, and RLC are copied, cast in silver, stamped sterling, and then resold without hallmarks as poor imitations of the originals. The problem is that sometimes they are really obvious and terrible looking, as in the case with this rosary.

The origin of these pictures has been kept secret to protect the innocent:

This is probably the worst imitation of a Gloria rosary I have ever seen. Sure it's shiny, but it just makes me sad.

Okay. I'll admit it. The photography kind of bums me out too...

I shall call her... FrankenRosary....

2006-05-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

I kept everybody in suspense and didn't even mean to!

This rosary is actually made from 3 different rosaries, hence the name "Frankenrosary".

When Elwing first started finding rosaries at street markets, she didn't know about decades and Hail Mary's and Our Fathers, so some of her first rosaries were absolutely gorgeous, but sadly, incomplete. I saved these in hopes that one day, their parts would come in use. One in particular had a set of fantastic brass integrated medals. It also had this terrific ebony and metal crucifix - like the kind you see on plastic rosaries all the time with the medal backing bent over the arms of the cross. This one was made right though and it looked great. The crucifix went to a rosary with perfect silver capped bohemian glass beads and a plastic (?) crucifix that simply wouldn't do.

Later she found an amazing 4.5 inch brass Pectoral crucifix that was attached to an amusingly tiny ebony rosary with rather bland hardware.

I saw my chance. Taking apart both the complete ebony rosary and the incomplete rosary, I replaced the bland hardware with the brass hardware and medals. Then I polished up the ebony beads and I had something pretty cool. I grabbed a center medal off another broken rosary that fit in with the mixed brass and silver look of the integrated medals. Then I took a loose filigree crucifix from France that Elwing had sent me to price as a loose item and added it to make a completed rosary.

Once complete I added medals and gave it another cleaning whereupon I discovered that the discolored centermedal was marked "argent" and is actually 800 purity silver. Well, what do you know...

This is what rosary restoration is all about.

-e

Brown Bohemia

2006-05-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love bohemian glass beads so when I tested my new lightbulbs for my photo setup I grabbed this photo to play with first. It looks pretty good.

The rosary is a silver assembly with milk white core brown faceted bohemian glass beads. The swirl pattern on the crucifix and the shape of the center medal is very art deco. It's a very simple rosary, but sometimes, simple is good.

I took today's pictures while playing "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in the background. There's nothing cooler than having an exorcism movie named after you. (Though it does get a little weird toward the end when everyone is running around screaming "Emily!") The creepy thing is, I have a reoccuring dream where I can't turn on my lights... Boo!

May 12 of 12

2006-05-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

7:00AM The Unibomber Shack
My tiny one room house was called this as a joke the day I moved in. Somehow, it has never lived it down. There are a lot of photos of people in bed looking at their alarm clocks so instead, here is what the shack looks like when I first wake up. If you're thinking to yourself, "hey, that's really cute!" Notice two things. First, you can see all the way through it. Second, have a look at the next picture and see how ghetto my lifestyle really is...

7:02AM Yes. it really is that small.
It's so small people don't realize that it's a dwelling and so they lean against it and drink beer at 4 in the morning sometimes. That's an alley running behind it and there are skid marks where cars have run into the shack. Plus I have 4 dumpsters! But I've gotten attached to the place and everyone who visits says they wish they had a shack too.

8:00AM Cats in the bathroom.
I don't know why this is, but there is no greater thrill for my cats than my bathroom after I have just gotten out of the shower. The minute I turn off the water they run in and wait for their chance to hang around in the bathtub. And then once the bathtub is no longer interesting they continue to hang around playing with the bathmat, bringing toys in there, and sitting on the toilet.

10:30AM Ludicrous Lighting
This is what it looks like when I photograph rosaries. Inside the cube there is a foam core stage that the rosaries are arranged on for photography. One side is blue fabric and the other is white. It was actually difficult to take this picture because the light is so bright that the camera freaks out. I can spend hours with my head stuck inside that little box as it can take up to half an hour to pose and photograph a single rosary.

4:50PM "Clouds" behind the steeple
Okay, this was supposed to be a picture of the cool cloud formation behind the St. John's steeple before Mass, but the sky turned out completely white. I like going to Mass on Fridays because it is chanted in Latin. Unfortunately though, this Friday, it wasn't. (It probably had something to do with the semester ending.)

4:55PM The interior of St. Johns Chapel
I really like the way the inside of St. Johns looks. It's ornate without looking over done. The altar used to be an old style Latin Mass high altar but it was changed to work with the new Novus Ordo mass. All of the marble taken from the original high altar was reused elsewhere in the sanctuary.

5:25PM Not Yet Body and Blood
The "Gifts" waiting on their tiny table to be taken up to the altar. Every thing has a funny Latin name in the Mass. Though the wine is in a "flask", the host wafers are in a "ciborium" and the napkin the priest spreads out to catch any crumbs is called a "corporal". Later on, I helped distribute the Precious Blood to the congregation as a "Eucharistic Minister" and I had a different napkin for catching any spills called a "purificator". (It looks like I've been caught taking pictures, but that guy actually spends more time looking behind him during mass than in front of him. I have no clue why.)

5:30PM Washing hands
I wanted to take a picture during Mass, but not during a time where anything important was going on so I chose this moment where Monsignuer Swetland is washing his hands in preparation to consecrate the gifts. He's wearing red because it's a feast day for the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus. We got some sad news the other day that Monsigneur is leaving at the end of June. This is one of his last Masses at St. Johns.

6:00PM The Divine Office for Many
After Mass a small group of us stayed and prayed the Evening Liturgy together. Here Sacristan Mary holds a stack of the chapel's prayer books.

6:20PM Prayers to the Blessed Virgin
The website I administrate is saying goodbye to one of its members tonight. It's always tough on the site staff and membership when this happens, not to mention for the person leaving. I lit this novena candle and said a rosary that the site would move on in this difficult time and that the member would find happiness in her life. Our candle is the one on the right.

7:00 My Car
WIth all the church stuff taken care of, it's time to go to fencing at "The Point", Urbana-Champaign's local fencing club. My car is well equipped in case of emergency. I've got a tiny St. Christopher statue from Elwing, a St. Benedict Exocism medal (in case of possession), some holy water (in case of baptism), and an iPod.

8:10 L U N G E !
It's a good thing he's stepping into my kind of whimpy lunge there. Fencing practice at The Point is always fun. There were only eight of us fencing tonight so we did a round robin thing and fenced each other twice on two different strips.

BONUS PHOTO
Here is my 13th "bonus" self portrait photo. Me in my dorky white outfit (which is even whiter than normal because I just washed it). I don't quite know what's going on with my hair. It looked fine before I took my mask on and off a couple of times. Don't make fun of it though or I'll poke you with my pointy stick! :-D

The look of things to come

2006-05-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been slow going since I got out of the hospital. I found myself with a whole new shipment of rosaries from Europe, plus I still had some left over that had yet to be cleaned, photographed, and listed. I decided to go the long route and instead of just hurrying up and getting some stuff up there, I did a total inventory, moved medals around, made additional repairs with some of the new materials from Europe and in general came up with a giant stack of rosaries that are finished and in the process of being photographed now. I think the work paid off.

Judge for yourself:

Cane glass then and now

2006-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

These are "cane glass" beads. They are beads that are made by hand by taking thin rods of glass, heating them, joining them together, and then stretching them. The final stretched rods are then cooled and cut into small "beads" and the holes are added. It is a time consuming process and it is one of the reasons cane glass beads are so special - no one bead is the same.

Because of the symmetry of the rosary, it is rare to see a cane glass rosary, especially with modern cane glass which tends to be intensly colorful and variagated. It would be difficult to acheive that symmetry with a modern section of cane glass beads. In the past though, cane glass was much simpler as pigments were harder to come by and the tools weren't as developed.

This rosary is made of very simple cane glass. It is quite old and probably one of the few glass rosaries of its age. The cane glass, as you can see is simple, only one color rod has been stretched, but you can see the way it has been hand cut by the variations in the size of the beads. In addition, the maker added a silver center and ornate crucifix. For the time that this rosary was made, this was an extremely fancy rosary. It was probably made between 1890 and 1900, a time when most rosaries were constructed out of wood. So given the time period, it compares to the large crystal and sterling rosaries viewed elsewhere in this blog.

For the rosary collector with everything

2006-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, you're probably wondering by now, what kind of rosary I actually use to pray with. I mean, given how many rosaries I pass in and out of my possession, you might be curious. If there was any justice in the world I would have some kind of simple wooden rosary that was all worn looking from use. I don't.

I have several rosaries, but this is my favorite and the one that I pray with the most. (The picture is terrible. On an impulse I threw it down on the stage and photographed it.)

The rosary is a "PL" rosary from Quebec similar to this one. It is one of the few rosaries I can't remember purchasing (usually they all have a story) because I didn't see it. I just knew I was getting a sterling silver and jet rosary from Canada with some medals on it. It was while I was cleaning and repairing it that I thought, "This rosary looks familiar..." I looked through my pictures and realized it was an exact copy of my favorite "PL" rosary in black.

At the time I had a different jet and sterling rosary that I thought was my favorite, but over time I started grabbing this one more and more. It was just the perfect length, the perfect weight, and I love the feel of the biconal beads in my fingers. Finally I gave in, retired it from the collection and had it blessed by the priest at my church. (None of my rosaries are blessed since they are bought and sold - it is improper to sell "sacramentals" or blessed objects.)

I do have other rosaries that have significance to me and/or that I use from time to time. For instance during lent I carried my first rosary which is a very simple ebony wood and brass rosary - no medals, nothing shiny, totally lenten. (I had good taste in rosaries when I was eight. It's a wonderful antique.) It's blessed too and so it's not going anywhere either. And then there are a few others that were gifts or have been blessed such as one blessed by Pope Benedict XVI and another that was present during a Marian Apparition in Medjugorie. (The last one makes for an interesting conversation piece at the very least.)

It's a little confusing to others how I have "my rosaries" and "the collection", but as long as it makes sense to me, I guess it works.

Let's get Fancy

2006-05-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here is you typical deluxe fancy rosary. It is all sterling silver from the crucifix and centermedal to the attached medals to the caps on the beads and even the eye pins. The beads are made of rock crystal so the rosary is very very heavy. It's got all the special features of a fancy heirloom rosary as well such as the sterling silver spacer links (which I just learned can also be called "torsade extenders" - doesn't that sound even fancier!) and an extra silver loop between each bead. The cool thing about a rosary like this is you really know you're praying on it because it weighs you down. It's HEAVY!

The maker of this rosary is RLC even though the crucifix looks a lot like a very common Gloria crucifix. It seems like even with only a few Sterling rosary makers, there are even less designs. I've seen Dean rosaries that look like Gloria rosaries too. The only ones that stand out are LP which just so happen to be my favorites. The center medal is completely unique though and is openwork, which I like. And I love how the sterling stamp is worked into the design on the backside. Very art deco.

The medals are pretty cool too. They are all silver and most of them are signed by their makers. Given that the rosary is most likely from Quebec, I tried to stay with a French theme when deciding what medals to add. There is a hallmarked sterling St. Bernadette of Lourdes medal (signed) and signed French Scapular medal. There is a second large scapular medal that is unsigned, but I think is cool because on one side Mary and Jesus are sitting displaying all sorts of scapulars in their hands. And finally there is a really unusual St. Michael medal that is like three medals in one. On one side there is St. Michael and then on the other side, it is like another scapular medal with a dual image of Jesus and Our Lady of Perpetual Hope.

Yeah.... It's fancy...

Knot all rosaries have beads

2006-05-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

So far every rosary on this blog has had beads, but rosaries come in all different flavors and they don't even need to have beads. The rosary pictured is made entirely of twine that has been knotted to create 5 decades with larger knots for the our fathers and finally a crucifix has been added. This is a fairly fancy one in that a different color twine has been used for each decade. It's possible to make much simpler ones with a single strand of the same color twine.

There is a group called The Rosary Army that makes all twine knotted rosaries like these. Their motto is "Make them, pray them, and give them away" and that's exactly what they do. They have members all over the world who make and contribute twine rosaries, then they send them out free to anyone who emails in an asks for one. I think they've given away thousands of rosaries now and taught hundreds how to make them.

The two rosaries pictured were made by Teena, a member of the Rosary Army.

Cat: 0 Emily: 1

2006-04-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was bit by a feral cat while volunteering at a spay/neuter day in Chicago. We spayed and neutered over 60 cats from various shelters and rescue groups all free of charge. So while it was a successful day for us, it wasn't a very good day for my hand. I was bitten in the morning by a surprise feral (a undomesticated stray cat) who showed up in a closed carrier rather than a trap and by the time I got home my whole hand was swollen.

So I spent the week in a hospital instead of playing with rosaries.

I did get to neuter the cat though.

You Mean it's NOT Pewter?

2006-04-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Proving that the question "Is it silver?" is never truly answered, I present this "pewter" rosary. Or, at least I bought it believing it was pewter.

The other day I had to take a train trip and so I brought a bunch of rosaries with me to write descriptions for. While writing the description for this one I noticed that it a funny "dent" in the back of the crucifix. Then I noticed that the same dent was on the center medal as well. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the word "sterling" appeared to be stamped under the dent. Since I didn't have my loupe with me on the train it remained a mystery until I got home.

It turns out that, yes, this pewter rosary is actually sterling silver. How about that? I'll post pictures of the hallmark after I take them.

Happy Easter

2006-04-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

He is risen. He is risen indeed.

April: 13 of 13

2006-04-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

...Because I'm fashionably late.

6:30- Russell the cat is saying "Goodmorning, gimme breakfast! Gimme Gimme!!"

6:45- Mop the cat is saying "hmm, zzz...wazda? hmm. Oh yeah, food"

8:00- Yeah well you go try photographing yourself!

8:00- I'm glad to inform you the Official Elwingmobile is in fine working order and in fact right where I left it yesterday!

8:15 not a lot of traffic today- And Antwerp can quite a pretty city, but sometimes they just don't try. Like that ugly bridge ahead. I have been told they built a tunnel to move traffic along at that spot, and when it was finished they realized they had forgotten to plan sufficient space for entrance and exit ramps... So they built a temporary bridge to solve the traffic problem while they worked on a solution. That was in 1972... Bridge is still here of course. The tunnel is buried somewhere underneath. It is what we call here a "grand travail inutile" a project of public unuse. Belgium is notorious for them!

10:00 My colleague Catena is celebrating her birthday with some goodies. Thanks, Cat! Some typical local things in there. "puddingbroodjes" and "rijstevlaai"-rice pie.

10:30 And yes, that's me in my natural habitat. All buildings need to have light, and somebody has to make the schemes for that. And that somebody happens to be me. It's a living!

12:30 A walk trough the harbours behind the office during lunch break...I love that about Antwerp. Nothing quite as romantic as a big harbour full of tall ships.

12:30 For lunch- goat cheese, walnuts, apple and honey. And lots and lots of dark buildings to be lit!

14:30 these two gents share my office- the supervisor, Co, and my fellow light nut john.

17:00 work is done, time to hit the town! Shame the weather is so bad, but at the same time, it sort of suits the place. Let's grab a bite- plenty of choice! Belgium is all about the food...

18:00 Early for dinner by local standards- I'm having this nice little greek restaurant all for myself. Most will not dine before 8. Outside people huddle under their umbrellas, inside it's warm and the adana kebab from the charcoal grill is the specialty of the house. Not bad, I might be back...

20:00- back home, and looking at the mess that is my desk. Tools- a fresh batch of rosaries waiting to be sent stateside. And just lots of stuff.:-) I'm of to chatland!

April: 12 of 12

2006-04-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my 12 of 12 for April 12th. It's coming in a bit late because I didn't expect to be stranded in Chicago another day. The cool thing about this 12 of 12 is some 'scrawlers got involved. Here's some of the 12 of 12s from Nightscrawlers:

Idsunki
Nacht
Elwing
With more to come!

8:30am ~ I am at my parents' house just outside of Chicago. This is what it looks like. It's a very different house than my shack.

8:32am ~ My dad keeps telling me stories about coyotes in the neighborhood and I've been like "uh huh, yeah, coyotes, sounds serious...." Because I didn't really believe him, but this morning there was this half a rabbit on our neighbor's lawn. Our neighbors have a dog, but it's smaller than the rabbit. The butt end of a rabbit is a good meal for a predator like a coyote though... hmmm.

9:00am ~ Breakfast at Walker Brothers. Walker Brothers is local Chicago breakfast place that makes the best breakfast ever! I'm having a Dutch Pancake which is eaten with lemon and powered sugar. It's baked and it rises in the pan so when they bring it to the table it's like a big bowl that slowly goes floppy. It's getting towards floppiness in the picture. Yummy!

10:05am ~ My parents' dog Kodiak (Kody for short) snuggles on his favorite rug with his favorite stuffed blue dog.

10:30am ~ I had a date with my friend Chris, one of the other Nightscrawlers admins to do some role playing for the board's experimental new role playing game. Here we are trying to figure out how awkward teenage mutants with shape shifting powers express their affections for each other. Awkwardly it turns out. It's good to be a Nerd.

1:00pm ~ Kody at the dog park. It seems that Kody's first order of business is to get as dirty as possible when going to the dog part. Here he's found a decent mud wallow and appears to be enjoying himself.

1:35pm ~ Satisfied that he has achieved an appropriate level of filth, Kody finds a friend in the bushes.

6:00pm ~ It's the first night of Passover so my father and I go to a Seder at his friends Sue and Sherwin's house. The table is all set with a Haggadot at each place, the traditional seder platter of symbolic foods, and flowers. It's a huge gathering with multiple generations of families and friends.

6:00pm ~ A closeup of the Seder plate. Everything has a meaning. The egg (Baytzah) is a symbol of the traditional temple sacrifices that were offered during passover. The Parsley (Karpas) represents a vegetable and is eaten during the ceremony dipped in the Salt Water that represents tears. The brownish stuff is "Charoset" and it symbolizes the mortar Jewish slaves used in their building for the Egyptians. (It's delicious - made from apples, nuts, wine, and spices) The lamb shank bone (Zeroa) if a reminder both of the slaughtered paschal lamb as well as the "mighty arm of God". Bitter herbs (Maror), usually horshradish, is used to represent the bitter life of the Jews in their time of enslavement. And finally, celery is used as a bitter vetetable (Chazeret).

Each of these foods is used or eaten during the course of the passover ceremony which takes place during the meal.

7:00pm ~ After the service is concluded, chicken with matzoh ball soup is served. Yum.

7:20pm ~ The stereotype about Jewish mothers making too much food has to come from somewhere. Passover dinner laid out moments before everyone digs in. One person cooked all this!

7:40pm ~ I tried to get a large candid phot of everyone just hanging out, having dinner, chatting, and having a nice time. It was a good Pesach.

Just a bit of eyecandy.

2006-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Auntie Elwing got a new canon...Time to shoot a few neat things lying around on my desk! What about this:

Somebody enamelled this in full-colour, by hand. And it's tiny... And very rare!

lovely silver medal with two shades of enamel and "the holy blood of Bruges" image. Look at all the detail in there!

Assorted stuff. There is an exellent "art nouveau" rosary in there- and a very rare filigree rosary, probably german. And lots of little medals..

But is it silver?

2006-04-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

When it comes to determining the value of an item much depends on what it is made of. Silver items are much in demand and fortunately fairly common, but the trouble is telling what is silver, and what is not.
When in doubt, the first thing we do is look for a hallmark. This is not as easy as it sounds; most of my items come from France and the french use amazingly tiny and complicated hallmarks, often on one of the loops. Also, correct information has proven to be hard to find. This is what I gathered- feel free to correct me...
For small items 2 hallmarks are in use-
the boar's head is used for small items hallmarked in Paris.

small items in other "departements" are marked with a little crab-like thing.

Note that these hallmarks indicate silver with a content of 800/1000 or more. As far as I know there is no way to tell if it is 800, "sterling" (925/1000) or other content. For larger items there are marks available that indicate content, but, again, as far as I know this does not go for the small item stamps.
And small they are indeed! Barely visible with the naked eye, often unclear or deformed and sometimes just plain absent. When Emily and me cannot find any hallmark but suspect an item is silver we do the famous test with the "touchstone". More about that some other time.

Silly French. But then, who can argue with folks who make stuff this gorgeous?

Hidden Mysteries

2006-04-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

This rosary looks pretty ordinary. Nice glass beads, an average trefoi crucifix, run of the mill miraculous medal, and a typical center medal - just your everyday rosary right? Wrong.

Within the center medal of this rosary are a set of sliding panels that list the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. (Notice I said 15 mysteries and not 20. This rosary was made before Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary in the apostolic letter that this blog is named after.) The center medal has a patent on it, but it was patented before 1970 the patent office database is only searchable by patent number pre-1970 so I haven't been able to get much information on who invented it. It is definitely on of the most unique and ingenious rosaries I have ever seen.

Sneak Previews

2006-04-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I go to movies early just for the previews. I took over 120 photos today. Here are some previews.

Antique rosary, approx. 1850s with lampwork glass beads:

Large all sterling assembly Gloria rosary with pyramid Jet beads:

Mother of Pearl and all 800 solid silver assembly rosary:

Large all sterling assembly RLC rosary with capped crystal beads:

Glow in the dark is good

2006-04-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Easter! Risen Christ rosaries and chaplets are a rare find and those that glow in the dark are even more so! This simple chaplet has a single 10 bead decade with 1 bead on the drop and more than its share of kitsch. The beads will glow in the dark if "charged" under an incandescent light for an hour or so.

Getting ready for Easter

2006-04-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

The cheerful yellow marbled glass on this 5 decade rosary is a bit unusual. Based on the construction, it appears to have been made during the first half of the 20th century. One of the things that makes this rosary so rare is that it is unusual to find a rosary dedicated to this Spanish pilgrimage site, Limpias. Limpias is a station on the road to Santiago de Compostella where many miracles have been said to have occurred involving a life sized figure of the crucified Jesus.

The rosary has a single medal on it that is a devotion to the "Precious Blood Relic" in Bruge, Belgium. Though these two sites are far away from each other, they are both similar in the types of miracles and apparitions that the faithful have claimed to have witnessed there.

And nothing says "Easter" like a bright yellow rosary.

Is it just there to look Goth?

2006-04-01T06:24:00.001-08:00

I've often been asked about the skull and cross bones at the base of these pectoral crucifixes. To many people they don't make sense; other than adding a cool gothic or piratey touch, what is it there for?

I'm always glad they ask because the tradition of putting the skull and cross bones at the base of a crucifix is a very important one, one that really emphasizes the message behind the symbol itself. The symbol of Christ crucified is important to Christians because it represents the sacrifice made, the life of Jesus in exchange for their sin. There are subtle differences in the way different denominations of Christianity focus on this sacrifice (the crucifix is very important to Catholics, but you won't see a crucified Jesus at a Baptist church for instance), but for all of them it is a crucial aspect of the faith.

What happened after the crucifixion though is also important to Christians. Christ rising from the dead three days later, the celebration of Easter, and His establishment of the church is, of course, a very important part of the Gospels that is not normally represented by the crucifix. The placement of the skull and crossbones, representing death, at the base of the cross, below Jesus, is a way of adding this most significant aspect of His sacrifice to the crucifix. It represents Jesus' triumph over death by literally placing Him above it; a symbol within a symbol.

Precious Cargo

2006-03-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

From Europe:

To the United States:

Elwing sent me the top picture about two weeks ago after a day of wandering through a streetmarket. Then today, I got a package filled with all sorts of cool things. I'm not going to get any awards for excellence in lighting, but this is what I get when I open her boxes. The rosaries are get their first cleaning before they are packed but they are usually in minor disrepair. We repair them, I give them their second cleaning and polish them, and we share in the task of identifying everything. (It's amazing how small the silver purity stamps are on some of this stuff, if they bothered to stamp it at all.) It's fun, like a research project, and I'm excited to get started on all those medals!

So that's how it all begins. And I love the cool little wooden boxes that each rosary was packed in. It felt like Christmas.

A little bit of dirt is important

2006-03-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

Relics are very important to Catholics. They are venerated "mementos" of holy people or places. They are not magical charms, but more like a piece of memorabilia one has that shows devotion and respect for something they love. Though a relic itself cannot instill grace, they are often used to bless people or even other objects.

Reliquaries are used to contain relics and there are many types. This rosary is a reliquary and can be opened. Inside is dirt from the Catacombs of Saint Callistus, the official cemetery for the Christians of Rome with a tiny paper that says, "terra catacumbe" or "caracomb earth" in French.

Open your heart

2006-03-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Among the better pieces in my collection are 3 antique rosaries with very delicate openwork centers. They are quite small and were made about 100 years ago- Sometimes I sit and wonder what their history may have been. Maybe these dainty rosaries sat in the silken purse of a french lady once. Especially the solid silver piece in the middle must have been a prized posession once...

March: 12 of 12

2006-03-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Last month Greg and Jennifer from Rosary Army talked on their podcast about a thing they did on the 12th of Febuary called "12 of 12" where they took 12 pictures of how they lived on the 12th day of the month. They got the idea from their friend Chad Darnell who came up with it and has many links to people's 12 of 12's on his site.

When I saw Greg and Jennifer's pictures I thought it looked like a really cool thing to do. I couldn't wait until the 12th of March so I could take my camera out and chronicle my day.

7:10am ~ The wake up committee: Kurt and Logan. Kurt is actually sitting on my chest and Logan has his feet dangling off the side of the loft. The cats can be really annoying about coming up into the loft and waking me up at odd hours so they are only given access on weekends.

8:30am ~ The Liturgy of the Hours. I try to start everyday with Morning Prayer from the Divine Office. If I don't have time to pray it from the book I listen to it on my drive to work via Jeff Vista's Praystation Portable podcast. I prefer to read it myself though.

10:13am ~ St. John's Catholic Chapel. The 9am Mass is just leaving. I am entering to be an altar server at the 10:30am Mass.

10:29am ~ Ever wondered what goes on in the sacristy before Mass? Sacristan Matt heats up the charcoal burners in the thurible with a propane torch so they will be hot enough for the incense at the beginning of Mass.

11:35am ~ Incontrovertible proof that we are going to heaven... Actually this is just a picture of the 4 alter servers from my Mass just after Mass ended. I haven't served a Mass with Aaron (the cross bearer) since he graduated last year so it was fun having him visit.

12:05pm ~ From the depths of his squeaky clean new Miata, Aaron takes a picture of me taking a picture of him taking a picture from within the depths of his sqeaky clean new Miata.

1:30pm ~ We always go out to lunch after Mass. Here is this Sunday's lunch crowd enjoying the atmosphere at one of Urbana-Champaign's many find restaurants.

1:40pm ~ After lunch we took turns getting in and out of Aaron's new car...

3:00pm ~ It occurred to me that before Aaron and Nick left to return home, it would be cool to all pray a rosary together. Since it was so nice out we decided to walk around the campus while praying. It was great. Aaron and I have both led St. Johns' rosary group at one time or another and so we split the role of leader. I didn't have my camera while we were walking around campus, but Nick snapped this picture at the end. Note that Aaron is holding a knotted twine rosary from Rosary Army.

5:45pm ~ Since Sunday lifts my Lenten internet fast I said Hi to my friends on Nightscrawlers and did some admin stuff there. Then I prayed evening prayer and afterwards realized I didn't have enough food to make lunches for work this week.

7:00pm ~ So grocery shopping it was! I took a quick trip to Schnuck's and got some basic lunch stuff. I also found out that it is "Kosher Awareness Week" at Schnuck's so I picked up a box of Matzoh and some macaroons for Passover.

9:30pm ~ Now that the kitchen is stocked with freshly bought food I can make lunch. I'm sure Logan thinks he's "helping" in some way, but look at him, he's not even looking at the lunch I'm making. This is why cats should never be placed in supervisory positions.

A little bit of Glory

2006-03-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

I love Gloria rosaries. This one is particularly cool because it is small and I didn't know they even made small rosaries. (For me the first sign that I am going to see a Gloria hallmark on the back is that the rosary is huge and heavy.) This one is really unique though in that it is petite and delicate. I couldn't believe it when I saw the back of the crucifix. I was like "Gloria? No way!" And there it was on the center medal too.

Actually, the assembly is worth mentioning here because it's unusual all beyond the fact that it's small. Gloria seems to have made a select few crucifixes and the variation is in how they are configured with center medals, beads, and sterling links. In this case, it's a crucifix I've never seen before and it's really ornate and Celtic looking. (Which is also surprising since Gloria typically goes in for filigree.) The center medal is a tiny version of my favorite open work centermedal with Mary on one side and Jesus on the other. And then, just like its larger Gloria counterparts, there are the wonderful sterling links to join the whole thing together and make it really special. It's an awesome rosary - no doubt.

And finally, to top it all off, are the medals. They're all sterling too and one of them is hallmarked as well. The sterling Sacred Heart of Jesus Medal (with Our Lady of Perpetual Hope) on the back that you can see in the pictures above and below is hallmarked with, of all things, "Creed". Creed , is probably the most well known maker of sterling silver rosaries in the US (and possibly the most expensive). I actually like Gloria rosaries a lot better, but to my surprise I found myself in possession of a Creed sterling silver medal. It's a small medal and it looked great on this delicate little rosary so I figured I'd mix and match a bit.

Supersize me.

2006-02-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

It seems that one of the biggest difference between rosaries in Europe and in the United States is one of size. Americans like their rosaries the same way they like their meal portions, their cars, and their houses:

BIG!

Europeans on the other hand, like a smaller rosary.

This rosary is from Europe and it is quite special. It is from Belgium, and has very unusual white enamelling offset by its bronze hardware. The unusual opalescent beads are shaped like grains of rice and have a great deal of depth and sparkle. Attached to the drop is are a tiny matching blue Our Lady of Lourdes medal and a unique openwork bronze Mary Queen of Heaven medal.

The hanging length of the rosary is a mere 20 inches. Actually that's quite long by European standards, this rosary is has a mere 16 inch hanging length.

To put things in perspective, the average American rosary has a hanging length of 24 inches and 8mm beads.

And the Silver Medal goes to...

2006-02-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

Just so you don't think we're obsessed with rosaries only, here are 2 awesome silver Lourdes medals: the cruciform one came from Elwing and the other I found.

Exactly who is St. Regis?

2006-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is why antique rosaries are so cool. This rosary appears to be close to 100 years old and everything about it is different from what we're used to (except for the basic 5 decade layout which is the same). This rosary is very large and was clearly made by hand. Its hanging length is a full 2 feet and the beads are quite large. Each one is slightly different and it looks as though they were made on a lathe and then cut apart afterwards.

The crucifix is also very large - 2 inches tall and is very heavy brass with inlaid wood. The center medal has a dedication to the Virgin Mary on one side with the word "Mater Dei" and to Saint John Francis Regis who was canonized in 1737.

This rosary is currently available for auction on ebay.

A rosary is a chaplet, but is a chaplet a rosary?

2006-02-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

This is a Stations of the Cross chaplet from Poland that I picked up for almost nothing because nobody knew what it was. To understand how rosaries work you have to speak French. In French the word for rosary is "chaplet", the word used in English to refer to other beaded devotions besides the rosary. So in France, all beaded devotions are chaplets, and so any devotion, such as the Stations of the Cross which is normally placed on the walls or floors of a church, can become a chaplet by translating it into beads.

For this chaplet, one Our Father and three Hail Marys are said for each station. The drop and medal actually represent a "fifteenth station", the resurrection, and are recited last.

This rosary is currently available for auction on ebay.

the catch of the day

2006-02-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

Just a little peek of things to come...Watch this Space!

What's for dinner? Mmmm.... Rosaries.

2006-02-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

I call it "ludicrous lighting".

I figured that since I have nice rosaries and the rosaries that Elwing sent me were really cool, I should take nice pictures. I wanted pictures like the professional auction pictures I've been using. But I know almost nothing about photography.

So, between Elwing and I tinkering with ideas and lighting and web sites, this is what I finally came up with. Luckily my table is so small that I don't need to use stands for the lamps. The box is a "lighting tent" that is used by photographers to do any kind of product photography. The idea is that by lighting the outsides of this translucent colorcorrected white fabric, your object is bathed in non-directed but bright shadowless light. So, that's how it's done.

Jewelry, it turns out, needs one more ridiculously bright light in order to look good. The third light (clipped to the tripod) I actually hold in my hand until I get the best reflection (ie. it looks all sparkly). Since everything is small I have to take the pictures at very high resolution to get any kind of detail. This means that even the movement of me taking the picture shakes the camera too much so I use the delay timer after focusing.

A single rosary can take up to half an hour to position and photograph.

Stanhope and Glory

2006-02-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I picked up an unusual antique rosary from a flea market seller's table- I almost missed the tiny lens in the crucifix, which after some cleaning revealed a lovely and amazingly sharp image of Lourdes! Such lenses are known as stanhope viewers or peepholes. Invented around 1860 by a frenchman, Rene Dagron, they were common in all kinds of souvenir and novelty items like knives, pens and miniature binoculars. Images span a wide range from celebrities, landscapes, pretty girls and sometimes even more off-colour subjects!

In religious items stanhopes occur with images of saints, sacred places and prayers. A common type of stanhope rosary is made of bone; also, wood rosaries with images from the Lady of Guadaloupe are sometimes offered on Ebay. Emily was kind enough to send me one of these, so I can show them to you.
Stanhopes, by the way, are still being made on a limited scale.
A bit old fashioned, a bit tacky, but undeniably charming. Look out for them...

Viva La Marcasites!

2006-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

I really like marcasite jewelry. The first piece of jewelry that I ever owned was a marcasite Star of David. Given that I like marcasites so much I always thought that if I could find a marcasite rosary that that would really be something. This one is pretty unusual, but it does have marcasites. I really like the assembly on this rosary. The ivy on the crucifix is really lovely and look - there's that's image of Jesus with the crown of thorns again. It's no suprise that when you flip the crucifix and center medal over it has the same hallmarks as my favorite rosary ever. I guess there's no accounting for taste.

This rosary is really long. I don't know the hanging length, but I can imagine it's around 27 inches. I've also never seen a rosary with a matched bunch of cross medals like this one has. Also they are attached in the middle of each decade (and at the drop) rather than at the Our Fathers like most medals are. It's a very weird, but cool rosary.

Look at all those crosses... And each one has a marcasite in the center.

...Bless you!

2006-01-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

A common find in flea markets here are plaques, medals and badges dedicated to st. Christopher, often quite large and in a 1930's art deco style. There is a story behind this, and it goes like this:
In the 1920's the automobile was becoming a common sight on Dutch and Belgian roads, and with it came some serious accidents. As a result of this some superstitious folk would decorate their cars with all kinds of talismans and charms intended to ward off danger. In response, some local catholic churches started offering the faithful the opportunity to have their vehicles blessed.
The first car blessing was done in 1927, near a church dedicated to saint Christopher, the patron saint of travellers.
Car blessings were extremely common from the 30's to the 60's. The blessings got so popular that churches have been built with an extra large car-friendly square in front of them! Blessed vehicles were usually adorned with a nice Christopher medal on their dashboards, and that explains their relative commonness. By the way, not only cars were blessed, but trucks and bicycles as well.
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the custom, and it has been revived in a few places, among which the Dutch town of Reusel.

Saint Chris is also a common subject of pocket shrines- but more about that some other time!

At last...

2006-01-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

This image is only significant in that it was taken with my camera in my house with my lights using my (ahem) studio. I've finally got the lighting kinks worked out and now have the ability to take decent photos of my own instead of using other auction houses archives (as beautiful though they are).

AND this rosary arrived today from Belgium. It seemed like the perfect subject for a challenging white on black photo test. Looks good. It's a nice rosary too. I took a second test image with another difficult rosary to photograph, my large "solemnity rosary" that I'd previously been unable to take a decent picture of due to glare.

Ahhh! Mother of Pearl

2006-01-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a simple old mother of pearl rosary that's been embellished by a large number of old silver medals. There isn't much to do other than enjoy a rosary like this. Mother of Pearl beads feel like silk in your hands and old silver is often worn smooth by constant use so even though I haven't ever touched this rosary, I've touched rosaries like it and they are wonderful.

The medals, from left to right: a sacred heart of Jesus medal, Our Lady of Fatima (see Jan 27th's entry for more information on Our Lady of Fatima), an Our Lady of the Immaculate Medal, a medal based upon an Icon of Mary with the child Jesus, and and Immaculate Heart of Mary medal. The center medal shows St. Bernadette who had an apparition of the Blessed Mother at Lourdes and there is a second framed Sacred Heart of Jesus medal on the drop.

Gloria Rosaries: Wonderful Works of Art

2006-01-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

Here are two versions of a similar rosary assembly made by Gloria on two different rosaries. Gloria rosaries are fairly common and very popular among collectors in the US and Canada. They offer some of the richest and most beautiful styles; definitely the type of rosaries that would be given at weddings, first communions, baptism, and other special occasions. I am always excited when I find a Gloria rosary.

Here is the assembly of both rosaries viewed from the back. You can see they have been hallmarked by both the "Gloria" makers Mark as well as the "Sterling"mark (though the purity of the silver is not designated). Both of these rosaries have the same the same center medal and very similar crucifixes. Though the center medals are clearly identical, they are not marked the same and the crucifix on the black rosary has a second hallmark on it. It makes me think that they are made by hand and not cast as part of some factory process. Note that the rounded crucifix on the black beaded rosary does NOT have the nails on the back of it so it is common, but not always necessary.
Gloria rosaries also have stamped tags on them though it is very rare to find a rosary with the tag included. You can also see in this picture that the rosary his been restored. Though the silver assembly are orginal, and perhaps the beads, there is clearly a brand new set of chains and links on this black beaded rosary. The red beaded rosary looks as though it is all original assembly, beads, and chains. The medals, as always, are added after the fact.

Rosary hunt!

2006-01-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Time to introduce one of the supporting characters in this tale. You can call me Elwing, I live in Belgium and I will be supplying some of the rosaries Emily Rose will be offering on Ebay. Follow me to an antiques market in Brussels. Some of the best antiques for sale there in the cool januari sun, and if I'm lucky- they have something for me! And even when they don't, the historic surroundings make a visit worthwhile.

My visit today is not in vain though. I pick up two rosaries, one sterling and mother of pearl, the other made of unusual grey marbled beads. And a lovely large crucifix with silver ends.

A bit of bartering, a bit of confusion -my french is more than rusty!- and I go home with the goodies...

Bohemian Art Glass

2006-01-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

At last we see a rosary that I own. I fell in love with the beads on this one as much of the assembly is new or restored (as in not part of the orginal vintage piece). The beads were pristine though and well, they are really cool beads.

There are some amazing art glass rosaries floating around and I will try to find more pictures of them because they can be really gorgeous. These beads have a black glass core surrounded by clear faceted crystal. The beads are pyramidal in shape which means that they are "strung" symmetrically in two directions (you can see it at the center medal, the long side always points down). In the middle of the third decade of the rosary, two of the "fat sides" face each other.

The center medal is a Miraculous Medal (which is uncommon) and the crucifix deserves mention in that it's shape is what's known as a "budded cross". The "trefoil ends" on the budded cross represent the trinity. It's a very common shape in Catholicism and often seen atop any kind of Christian standard or flagpole. The two medals on either side are a four way cross (this one isn't in color and is much more typical in appearance than the one seen on the red rosary from 2 days ago) and an "Our Lady of Fatima" medal in honor of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Portugal when she appeared to three children over a series of days in 1917 telling them she desired frequent recitation of the rosary as a penance for all sinners (and bringing the devotion to a new popularity among the faithful).

The One that Always Gets Away

2006-01-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've come across this brown faceted glass rosary several times and I really love the way it looks. Once again you can see it has all the stuff I like, ornate spacer links instead of chains, an extra link between each Ave bead, and a beautiful matched center medal and crucifix. The beads are quite long but very slender giving this rosary a very streamlined appearance, which is the main reason why I never seem to stomach the high prices it seems to attract from bidders. If I'm going to pay $90 - $120 for a rosary it should at least be comfortable to pray on and I've found that rosaries with skinny beads like this just aren't.

There's not much else to say about it unless you view it close up. This close up view lets you see the intricacy of the center medal as well as the links. They are both quite beautiful. The hallmarking on the crucifix is quite elaborate. There's the maker's mark at the top of the crucifix and then a second mark at the bottom which says "design" and has a number. I'm not sure it that's meant to be a serial number or perhaps denotes some kind of limited edition. The purity of the silver is not indicated.

Observe also the "nails" sticking out of the back of the crucifix. This is common to many crucifixes and it should be noted that in this case (and in the case of most fancy sterling silver crucifixes) these nails are not sticking through from the front, they have been delibrately placed. Because of the importance placed on the crucifixtion and on the wounds of the crucified Christ, rosary makers almost always show that the nails have been driven all the way through by placing false nails on the back side of the crucifix that match up with the nail heads on the front side.

Possibly my favorite rosary ever

2006-01-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

I love this rosary. LOVE it. It represents everything that I look for in a beautiful fancy rosary. These would be: spacers instead of chains, an extra link between each bead, soldered rings at the terminus of each bead, and it's pretty large, around 8mm. Unfortunately it is not mine, but I do own an exact copy in black.

The assembly of this rosary, that is the crucifix, center medal, and spacers (the things between the Our Father beads) are all .925 sterling silver and it has the hallmark E.R.M.S on it. This particular rosary has very nicely matched enamel medals on it, probably from Europe. Going left to right we see a rose slide medal (it would slide open to reveal something inside, usually a relic), a red enamel Infant of Prague medal, a small red enamel Sacred Heart of Jesus Medal on the drop, a really amazing four color enamel "Four Way Cross" (also on the drop), and finally a red enamel Immaculate Heart of Mary medal.

All and all a truly exquisite rosary. Even the bail on the crucifix is embelished and while I don't normally go in for suffering Jesus images, I find the expression on the center medal to be quite eloquent. Alone the rosary is a treasure and when you add the collection of amazing enamel medals (red is very unusual and I have never seen a four way cross like that before or since) this rosary is truly unique.

Why the rosary?

2006-01-24T17:06:00.000-08:00

It seems that I have always been fascinated by rosaries. I got my first rosary when I was eight years old and I still have it. That doesn't sound than unusual unless you take into account the fact that I grew up Jewish. I used to think it was the most perfect thing I had ever seen which seems odd to me now because it's a pretty plain rosary. It was my love of the rosary that lead me to see what else the Catholic church had to offer. A lot as it turns out and I can now say I am a Jewish Catholic. (I'm in good company, so was Mary, and Jesus.)

I began collecting rosaries in high school, but I didn't really get any good ones until I was in college. I have always hung my rosaries in the bathroom. It's hard to find good ways to decorate one's bathroom and the rosaries look nice in there. I have around 50 or 60 rosaries, many of them quite rare. All of them tell interesting stories and friends from my church have often suggested I write a book on the rosary as a devotional item.

Recently I decided that it was a little unfair that I had all the good rosaries. I certainly can't pray on all of them at once and so I am now endeavoring to catalog them and then sell all but a few treasured favorites. I decided a blog where each entry was a rosary was the perfect way to keep a record and share it with everyone else. I'm in the process of photographing the collection now and should have my first rosary up soon.