Hello everyone! Today I want to share a craft with you. I really enjoy jewelry making, particularly making rosaries and rosary bracelets. Rosary bracelets are some of my favorite items. I love the ability to reach over to my wrist and pray the rosary anywhere I am, as well as the fact that they are a subtle reminder of prayer in the midst of the day. Recently I designed a rosary bracelet themed around Lourdes and want to show you all!
Supplies
The Hail Mary and Our Father beads are 12mm turquoise colored round glass beads. To space the large beads, I used small 4mm clear glass round beads. Between the Hail Mary beads, I used one spacer bead. To separate the Our Father bead from the others, I used three spacer beads on each side. The beads are strung on 49 strand wire, which allows the bracelet to drape nicely. The fastener is a stainless steel lobster clasp and ring. Next to the Our Father bead, I placed a small crucifix and a medal with an image of Our Lady of Lourdes on one side and St. Bernadette on the other. I used crimp tubes on the ends of the bracelet.
I decided to use blue as the main color for several reasons. For one, blue is a color which is often associated with Our Lady. Fulton Sheen often quoted the poem (or was it a prayer) “Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue”, which is extremely beautiful. Another reason I chose blue as the main color is the fact that water was such an important part of Our Lady’s apparition at Lourdes. When unclasped, the bracelet is approximately 8.25 in. long. Overall I am happy with how this bracelet turned out. I particularly like the medal of Our Lady of Lourdes. The blue beads are a little bit larger than I usually go with for rosary bracelets, but I think the final effect is pleasing. These beads are crackled glass, which creates an interesting look when light shines through them.
Spes in Caritate 