Catholic Jewelry
Prayer beads were very common during the late Middle Ages among the largely illiterate populace. It wasn't until the rosary approbation in 1520 that the Catholic Church officially accepted prayer beads. Throughout the world, the word "bead" is akin to prayer. In the Catholic Church the term rosary is derived from the Latin word rosarium, or rose garden Rosary beads are thought to aid believers in entering a permanent garden within which they are free to meditate on their faith.
Materials catholic jewelry are made from:
Catholic jewelry is made from a variety of gemstones, trees, and seeds. For monasteries, wood is more common, and among the populace more decorative rosaries are found. Some materials have no religious significance, while others, such as the olive tree in Bethlehem that have been bearing fruits since Jesus and the Romans time, are used.
Examples of Catholic Jewelry:
The chaplet of Our Lady Star of the Sea has a medal of Stella Maris,
three separate beads, and 12 additional beads. Our Lady Star of the
Sea is the patroness of those who sail the seas. Our Lady assists those
who sail the stormy seas of life.
The chaplet of St. Peregrine is a standard nine-bead chaplet with a
medal of St Peregrine and three groups of three beads. He is the patron
of cancer patients.
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