People of various faiths have used beads as an aid in their prayers for many centuries. For some, knotted cords or beads have functioned primarily to keep count of the number of times a prayer has been said or to provide structure for one's prayers. For others, the benefit of a cord or beads has little to do with keeping count, and more to do with maintaining focus in prayer. When the mind wanders, the fingers call attention back to prayer.

Crown of Thorns with Apache Jasper

There is a wealth of information online about the history of prayer beads and their use. For purposes here, let me simply explain the designations for the prayer beads that I create. A piece listed as a “Five Decade Rosary” is created following the structure of a traditional Catholic Rosary without a connecting center. A piece listed as an “Anglican Rosary” follows a 33 bead structure and probably needs a little more explanation.