Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Chaplet Bracelet
- Catholic Niner, Religious Jewelry Prayer Beads -

This lovely Our Lady of Fatima chaplet bracelet is handmade from blue sponge quartz gemstones, white pearls, Austrian crystals, and an Italian-made holy medal. A "niner" chaplet, it is designed around three trios of prayer beads, which here are represented by the blue quartz. These are delicately colored faceted gemstone rounds with light blue shading. Accompanying them are the white pearls, which are from Swarovski (made in Austria), and sparkly crystal bicones, also from Swarovski. The holy medal shows the Blessed virgin Mary revealing herself to the three Portuguese peasant children—Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta—at Fatima. This is a nicely detailed base-metal piece, with a simple cross and rose on the reverse side.

The bracelet is designed with three trios of quartz, each bead of which is nestled between beautiful sterling silver petalled bead caps (made in the USA). Within the trios, the beads are separated by single pearls; and between each trio is a larger crystal bicone flanked by a split pair of smaller bicones. On each end of the bracelet strand, the chaplet is finished off with a small bicone and pearl, a sterling silver twist crimp between TierraCast daisy spacers, and a sterling silver wireguard. The crimps secure the chaplet's high-quality 49-strand beading wire, and the wireguards help to prevent abrasion of the wire. The daisy spacers, beading wire, and sterling silver finishing components were all made in the USA.

The chaplet is approximately 7 1/4 inches in its basic length and its extender chain adds an extra inch. At the end of the chain, I added a decorative dangle to symbolize the Holy Trinity. It holds a Swarovski blue quartz bead, with a smaller crystal at the top and the bottom. The pearl is bordered with a split pair of daisy spacers.

This inspirational Our Lady of Fatima adjustable chaplet bracelet with blue sponge quartz, white pearls, and Austrian crystals was handmade by me with care, thought, and best wishes for its destined wearer and user. It comes wrapped in a nice organza bag, all set for gifting to someone who will appreciate its beautiful meaning—perhaps yourself! It is a sweet, inspirational bracelet of Catholic prayer beads, designed for Marian devotion.
 

Note About the Holy Medal and Complimentary Holy Card

I purchased the Our Lady of Fatima holy medal at La Salette Shrine in Massachusetts, a beautiful meditative place. While there, I also purchased the lovely laminated holy card shown in one of my photographs. The card comes as a complimentary extra with the chaplet bracelet.

About Nine-Bead Chaplets

A nine-bead chaplet (often called a "niner") facilitates a simple and easily remembered form of spiritual devotion. Its conventional prayer pattern is three recitations of each of the following prayers: "Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory Be." The trios of each prayer correspond to the trios of the prayer beads.

Having a chaplet as a bracelet is nice because it easily goes with you, right on your wrist, and can act as reminder of spiritual practice as well as a helper with that practice. It can be used for any form of good intention—such as offering thanksgiving, reflecting on penance, or petitioning divine assistance for oneself or others—or simply as a "time out" of life's busy flow to engage in personal meditation. 

To see more PrettyGonzo jewelry, including more chaplet bracelets, please visit my Etsy shop via link below.

• ETSY      • PINTEREST       • TWITTER 

Our Lady of Knock & St. Patrick Rosary Bracelet

- Queen of Ireland Chaplet, Prayer Beads -

This Our Lady of Knock rosary bracelet has a color design inspired by Ireland, offering a vibrant combination of green quartzite beads, purple amethyst rounds, and Swarovski emerald and yellow bicone crystals. The quartzite is a beautiful shade of green (added to the natural stone and heat enhanced), reminiscent of the verdant Irish countryside in summer. The amethysts represent the glory of summer heather, and the yellow crystals call to mind the yellow gorse whose hue, a complement of purple, always makes the heather look vibrantly pretty. The emerald crystals are included as an appropriately sparkly symbol of the Emerald Isle.

The holy medal, made in Italy of base metal, is a beautifully detailed two-sided oval. It presents Our Lady of Knock on the front and the patrician figure of St. Patrick on the back. This bracelet is thus a wonderful chaplet for devotion to the saint as well as the Virgin Mary. The holy card shown in my photos is a complimentary item. I bought it at La Salette National Shrine in MA, a sweet place of peace and contemplation.

Also included in these Catholic prayer beads are:
• Small faceted amethyst rounds 
• TierraCast silver-plated daisy spacers
• Sterling silver crimps and wire guards
• A silver tone 1.25-inch extension chain  
• Silver-plated lobster clasp (12mm)  • High-quality 49-strand beading wire
All the above except the amethyst and extension chain were made in the USA. The length of chaplet bracelet is approximately 7.25 inches, not counting the extender chain.
 
An inspirational piece of religious jewelry, this special rosary chaplet would make a perfect gift for anyone who is engaged in Marian devotion and loves Ireland. Vibrant, sparkly, and unique, it was handmade by me with great care, thought, and best wishes for its destined wearer. It comes in a pretty organza bag, wrapped and ready for gifting to someone who will love it—perhaps you!

ABOUT OUR LADY OF KNOCK
Our Lady of Knock is also known as the Queen of Ireland. Both are titles given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in association with her 1879 apparition in the town of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. The vision occurred on a rainy August evening near the south wall of the town's Catholic church, and was first witnessed by a rectory housekeeper, Mary McLoughlin, and a friend's sister, Mary Byrne. That area of the church grounds, including the wall, glowed with a beautiful light, revealing an apparition of Our Lady, who looked life-sized and was flanked by two smaller visionary figures, St. Joseph and St. John. Mary Byrne hurried home to gather her family and bring them to the site. Other townspeople soon joined them. Travelers at a far distance also noticed the strange light around the church. After three hours or so, the vision and the light slowly disappeared. Unlike many other Marian visitations, such as those in Fatima, this one involved no auditory communication.

The Catholic Church is typically conservative in its confirmation of sacred visions, and in this case, the diocese suggested that a certain Protestant constable had played a joke on them. The people of the Knock refused to accept that theory, though. Soon many others in Ireland heard about the visitation, and the following year, Knock became a pilgrimage site. Two years after that, an archbishop from Toronto visited the site and later claimed that Our Lady of Knock had healed him of an illness. In 1936, Mary Byrne, now age 86, was interviewed by Church representatives. Her experience at Knock had been related to Catholic authorities back in 1879, and now remained exactly the same.

In 1971, the apparition of Knock was approved as "quite probable" by the Church. Although the vision has never been fully confirmed, the church at Knock is a popular draw for Irish believers as well as Catholic visitors to Ireland. My own visit there was a contemplative experience, and that the weather was "soft," with misty rain, seemed quite appropriate. In my listing, I've included a picture I took there, of the new church—Our Lady Queen of Ireland—which was built in 1976 at the visitation site. The statues in in the photo were added to the church in 1994.

ABOUT QUARTZITE
This crystal is traditionally considered a stone of stabilization, especially during times of many changes or great change. It is thought to help still overactivity and calm the mind and body. Such stillness facilitates a clearer perspective on one's life and an inner balance.

ABOUT AMETHYST
Amethyst is considered a stone of protection that deflects negative influences, lowers stress, and calms the mind. It is also seen as a highly spiritual stone that nurtures inner peace and spiritual awareness. Amethyst is the birthstone for February.

To see more PrettyGonzo jewelry, please visit my Etsy shop's home page via the link below: 
 
• ETSY       • PINTEREST       • TWITTER

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Niner Rosary
- Catholic Chaplet Bracelet - 

Dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, this chaplet bracelet features an Italian holy medal, Swarovski pearls and crystals, and gold-toned accent beads. The medal is nicely detailed, with the prayer "Protect Us" on the back. I particularly love how the Blessed Virgin Mary protectively holds the Baby Jesus as two angels present symbols of the crucifixation.

The spiritual image is based on the famous 15th-century icon of the Holy Mother and Child, originally painted in Crete, and beloved for its suggestion of the Blessed Virgin as the heavenly mother of us all. For this chaplet, I chose beads that reflect the colors of the restored icon, mainly gold, dark blue (for Mary's mantle) and red (for Mary's dress). Some versions of the imagery lighten the blue. In fact, the complimentary holy card that comes with the chaplet shows a much lighter mantle. But I wanted to accord with the original.

The jewelry design is based on the traditional niner style of three sets of three prayer beads. The main bead set presents a large blue pearl between a pair of gold pearls and flanked by small dark blue crystals (4mm bicones). Daisy spacers are used between each of these beads. Separating the three bead sets is a combination of a red crystal bicone (6mm) bordered by split pairs of gold-colored seed beads.

As with all my religious bracelets, making this piece was also a meditation on my mother, who loved the rosary and would have especially been delighted by this and any chaplet bracelet dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This lovely and meaningful Our Lady of Perpetual Help chaplet bracelet was handmade by me with great care, thought, and best wishes for its destined wearer. It comes in a pretty organza bag, wrapped and ready for giving to someone special, including yourself! It would make a wonderful gift for a Marion devotee or for anyone who appreciates the powerful image of the Holy Mother.

• Twitter     • Pinterest     • Etsy