Rosebeads

You can make your rosary beads out of rose petals. There are many rose beads recipes; I have used this one I found from the 1600s. Still, I adapted it because the measurements and some of the ingredients were impossible, such as using ambergris from whales I substitute frankincense resin. The rose pulp's texture is the key to not getting it two watery. It is a four-day cooking process, I had to add rose hydrosol that I made from my copper still. You can substitute real rose water, which gives you the scent but is affordable to use. These beads are much grainer than some rose beads used with clay that Carmelite nuns’ make in Portugal. So here is the measurement. I will do this in a not very linear way, but that's how I work.

Gather a large amount of organically grown red roses. All other colors will create a lighter color bead, which does not come out as well. I used an iron pot because this also deepens the color of the bead. It is what the old recipe asked. ( I no longer have the original recipe; I am doing this by memory)

You will need lots of Rose Water, at least two pints, and maybe even more…

2 quarts of organic Red Roses

1/4 oz of resin Benzoin

1/4 oz. of frankincense

1 oz of orris root

These measurements have to be adjusted to the quality of the rose pulp. It has to be cooked very slowly and always on a (low heat, continuously stirring)

On the first day, take 2 quarts of rose petals. Do not use any leaves, place them in an iron pot and add 2 cups of real rosewater. Slowly cook on a low heat stirring all the time. Do this for an hour. If the pulp is too dry and sticking to the bottom, you need to slowly add more rose water. It is done all according to the pulp's texture. If it is too wet, that is ok; you will cook out more moisture the next day.

Let cool and put through a blender. It quickens the process, and it more manageable than using a mortar and pestle method. The more the petals breaks down, the smoother and easier the bead will form. Then refrigerate the pulp in cover container. It would be best if you didn't want other smells coming into your rose pulp. Do not use the iron pot it will rust.

The next two days, go through the same process, adding more rose water if needed and stir for another hour, making sure the petals do not burn on the bottom. Then put back into the fridge. Always keep the pulp looking thick.

On the fourth day, you add the dry resins. Look at your rose pulp, and this is how I judge my measurement: One whole part of Rose pulp. Now from there, you add 1/8 part resin of Benzoin and 1/8 part Frankincense. It has to be resin, not essential oils. Because this helps harden the bead so it will last. Then add 1/4 part of powder orris root. It is used to fix the scent of the mixture. If your mix is too dry and sticking to the bottom as you cook, add more rosewater again. What you want to do at this stage of the process is to make sure the resins have melted into the rose pulp. It would be best if you cooked it long enough that it is not watery but thick and pulpy without burning it to the bottom of the pot. It is a crucial part because you will not form a good bead if it is too runny. If it to dry, you burn the mixture and ruin the smell of the whole project. So go slowly and always a low heat. So on the fourth day, you get the mix just right, all the resins completely melted into the pulp, and you then let it cool and form a ball. It would be best if you let the ball sit for a few hours on a breadboard. It will stain the wood. Then go back and slowly make one bead at a time, pressing them together and forming a ball. Make the balls the size of a small marble because they will shrink down a-lot, half their size at least, so go from that point knowing you will have a lot of shrinkage in the drying process. I dried the beads on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet. And let sit in a warm room. I did not place them in the sun.

The drying process depends on the weather also how dry the day is. You want to allow the bead to dry for a few days so the beads stay together but not so dry you cannot easily pierce it with a needle. If you do it too soon, it falls apart. If you do it too late, you cannot pierce it with a needle. Timing is the key here and your weather conditions.

Once they are pierce the rose bead with a needle, I place them on a copper wire and gently moved them around each day so the hole would not stick to the bead. Once completely dry then you can make your rosary.

It takes many roses to make a full rosary. Ok there you have it; a lot of this is what I learned along the way, and I have tried many different recipes over the years, but this was my best.

Have fun in your process and go slow. Ave Maria.

The first photo of this post is my rosebead rosary made by the nuns of Portugal I bought it in 1987 and restrung it a few years ago. I think they may add clay to get the smooth quality. Second photo is how the beads actually turn out. Below are the resources I adapted the recipe from. Originally I made these beads from a book of Jeannie Rose published in the early 70s one of the first mainstream herbal books that hit the market during the herbal renaissance of the early 70s. I have been making and adapting this recipe since 1990s. this is the best I have made over many different versions of rose beads.