Now you may wear a full set of Protestant prayer beads as a bracelet! I recently designed these to offer in addition to my Chaplet bracelets, which contain a shortened bead pattern. The new design contains the usual 34-bead pattern of my full-size prayer beads, but they are made using smaller beads to achieve a variety of bracelet lengths.
These bracelets have a lobster clasp, like my Chaplets, which attaches to the split ring just above the cross or other pendant(s). The clasp is large enough to attach to a variety of items, such as a back pack. Both Chaplets and these new bracelets may also be looped around a purse strap, rear-view mirror, etc., as beautiful statements of faith. The picture of the Flowered Purple Prayer Bead Bracelet below demonstrates this use.
The new two-strand design looks especially nice as a bracelet, because two of the Cruciform beads line up on top of the wrist. For example, see the Flowered Red Prayer Bead Bracelet below. Its cross dangles naturally below the wrist.
The six prayer bead bracelets I have created so far each have a cross pendant, but some of them also have an additional dangle, like the one shown below on the Faceted Aqua Prayer Bead Bracelet.
Its silvertone single-sided metal dangle has a goldtone inset embossed with “BE STILL AND KNOW.” It also has goldtone metal outline cross that I filled with transparent aqua resin.
Creation Challenges
It was a challenge to choose beads for these new bracelets, as the bead sizes definitely determine the bracelets’ lengths. I had to try smaller and smaller spacer beads so the bracelets’ circumference would not be too long. Some of them turned out longer than I would personally wear as a bracelet, but they will surely be the right sizes for others. To use larger beads, I eliminated spacer beads entirely, such as on the Flowered Red Prayer Bracelet. I did flank its Cruciform beads with larger green seed beads to enhance the design.
At first, I had to string (and sometimes re-string) a full bracelet to determine its bracelet length. I later created a way to measure the first-strung section of Week beads and one Cruciform bead to determine how big the bracelet would be. Restringing one such section (if the bead combo is too long or short) is much easier than restringing a whole bracelet!
Be sure to measure your or your giftee’s wrist if you are purchasing a prayer bead or chaplet bracelet and it will be worn as a bracelet. You’ll want to be sure it will meet your needs! Of course, any length will work just fine attached to a purse or somewhere else. And all will fit nicely inside your purse or pocket or under your pillow, to keep them handy for your prayers.
Components and Pricing
All of these new prayer bead bracelets have either gold- or silver-plated findings, including my favored Screw-Tite crimps. Each is priced at $25.00 and comes with a velveteen storage pouch and my 20-page “Protestant Prayer Beads” full color booklet. The booklet contains prayer bead pictures, history, symbolism, instructions, and eleven sample prayers.
See all my prayer bead bracelets on my website and snap one up for yourself or a giftee soon. Please leave a comment on this post to let me know what you think of this new design. I would love to hear from you!
