$250 Rosaries?

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ValiantDomain

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I was browsing the religious catalogue last night over at ewtn.com, and I decided to look through the rosaries - and to my surprise, I found some rosaries being sold for $250!!! :eek: I, for the life of me, can’t understand why such expensive rosaries exist, who would buy them, what for, and why you would potentially use one (or, heaven forbid, carry one around)!!!

Why? What is the purpose?
 
Think about it - people give all sorts of presents to each other on special occasions. Some, being well-off, give expensive ones - televisions, stereos, computers, cars and motorbikes. Some, being Catholic, give rosaries. Why not combine the two with a good-quality and good-looking rosary?

There are probably such things as family heirloom rosaries, as there are with fancy Bibles, christening gowns etc, that are made to get passed on through the generations. Of course, being expensive, they’d be kept in the home and probably used only for the family prayers, with less expensive ones for the purse or pocket.
 
ValiantDomain said:
I was browsing the religious catalogue last night over at ewtn.com, and I decided to look through the rosaries - and to my surprise, I found some rosaries being sold for $250!!! :eek: I, for the life of me, can’t understand why such expensive rosaries exist, who would buy them, what for, and why you would potentially use one (or, heaven forbid, carry one around)!!!

Why? What is the purpose?
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Easy now, young ValiantDomain. Take a deep breath…in…out…😛

My husband gave me a beautiful–I mean exquisite–rosary on our wedding day. It’s got pearls for the “Our Father” beads, and some other kind of purple precious stone for the “Hail Mary” beads, plus the connecting wire is sterling (I think.) I have absolutely no idea what it cost, but it means the world to me, needless to say (but so would a $5 wooden one, too.)

It stays on my bedside table, and never leaves the bedroom. Sometimes we say the Rosary there together; sometimes I say it there alone.

So there’s one answer for ya. :tiphat:
 
Remember that this will be a family heirloom, too!
A rosary made from the finest materials, made by hand, takes many hours of work. What could be a better gift for, as has been said, a wedding or anniversary gift? Yes, they are very expensive–far beyond my ability to pay for–but I would find such a rosary to be a great gift of love…Much better than any other price-y gift!!!
 
These pricey rosaries **are **beautiful. When I think about a rosary, though, I try to shop for one which is both appealing to my sense of aesthetics, but also practical for me to keep in my pocket nearly always, rain or shine.

However, my birthday is coming up. 😃
 
I think the most expensive one I have bought was 16.95. Basic black beads with a Benedictine Crucifix. I do not go into for the fancy stuff.
 
ValiantDomain said:
I was browsing the religious catalogue last night over at ewtn.com, and I decided to look through the rosaries - and to my surprise, I found some rosaries being sold for $250!!! :eek: I, for the life of me, can’t understand why such expensive rosaries exist, who would buy them, what for, and why you would potentially use one (or, heaven forbid, carry one around)!!!

Why? What is the purpose?
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In retail it seems necessary to satisfy the tastes of everyone. It is necessary to offer a range of options…granted, in most cases the high dollar items go to those most able to afford them…they know and expect quality…but the question remains , why spend those dollars on a rosary?..Consider the source…EWTN…I can very well see even a person with limited resources buying such an item just to help such a worthy cause! I would if I could:thumbsup:
 
Also, remember EWTN.com needs to raise funds. This probably functions partly as a contribution to their ministry.
 
Well, I don’t mind receive an expensive Rosary. In fact, I rather receive it as a gift than a branded bags/shoes, etc. 😃

It’s very beautiful, I intend to buy it for my mum when I get my first salary, which is (hopefully) about a year from now 🙂
 
aquinasandmore.com has 14k gold rosaries selling for close to $1600. Again, they’re very beautiful, but I’d be so afraid of even touching such an expensive item, much less handling it regularly!

I got my rosary from EWTN. It’s nice to know that some of what I paid was going toward benefitting their ministry. 🙂 I didn’t buy one of the $250 ones, though…
 
I’ve been guilty of spending more $ on even dumber things (like jewelry etc). At least an expensive Rosary may have some spiritual value and maybe help out a good cause to boot.

Just think IF you lost one of these pricey rosaries.
 
wcknight said:
I’ve been guilty of spending more $ on even dumber things (like jewelry etc). At least an expensive Rosary may have some spiritual value and maybe help out a good cause to boot.

Just think IF you lost one of these pricey rosaries.
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:eek:

That’s what I’m talking about! I’ve already been through two rosaries in my short span of time! One broke on me and I accidentally trashed my other one! I’ve taken better care of my current one!
 
ValiantDomain said:
:eek:

That’s what I’m talking about! I’ve already been through two rosaries in my short span of time! One broke on me and I accidentally trashed my other one! I’ve taken better care of my current one!
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You can get them repaired, dont throw them out! I make them. Its usually a very simple thing to fix them depending on the damage.
 
I thought long and hard about buying that exact Rosary for myself to celebrate becoming Catholic. I didn’t NEED it of course, and yes, I have enough fingers to count ten Hail Marys for free, but I realy wanted a fancy Rosary. After years of having NO religious art (due to my sincere but misguided fear of idolatry), the idea of having some fancy religious art for myself was very exciting – like going from living in darkness to standing in the full light of day. There’s no *practical *reason why I need a fancy Rosary or the full light of the noon day sun but I’m glad to have both.

(By the way, I decided to get a do-it-yourself kit from the Holy Land with Bethlehem olive wood beads and a St. Francis style Crucifix from Asisi ($7) instead. Technicaly I didn’t NEED something that expensive either, but who says celebrations have to be useful? 🙂
 
I have a $250 miraculous medal, to me it’s sacred and a Holy peice, I never buy myself anything, but felt it was O.K. to splurge on the medal, I also have a pricey Crucifix that hangs above our bed. I think it’s the first phase of spirituality, people tend to think the sacrifice of paying more for the religous item is more of a show of faith. Saint John of the Cross writes on this. There’s nothing wrong with it, even if it is misplaced intentions.
 
Yes, a rosary can be a family heirloom.

I have a gold rosary that was given to my aunt in 1927 as an engagement gift from her future husband. The date is engraved on the back of the crucifix. It was given to me when she died as she did not have any children.

Do I use it? Yes. For one thing, fingering the beads keeps the gold gleaming. For another, it is a link to my aunt as she always carried it in her purse, and used it as she said the rosary before Mass.

Is it a source of pride for me? I doubt it as hardly anyone ever sees it.

What kind of rosary we have or use is really unimportant, but to use one is important. A blessing is attached to the rosary itself making it a sacramental. That blessing is there even when it is not being used to “count” our prayers. Other threads have addressed sacramentals so I need not say more about that great advantage.
 
I have a silver rosary I bought in Mexico, $24, the most expensive I ever bought, but I just love it, the right weight, beautiful, beads the right size for my arthritic fingers, it came in a lovely blue velvet bag, it is extremely well made and has stood up to daily use for 8 years without tarnishing or breaking, and it has aquired a patina from use, and people ask me if it is an antique. the beads are actual roses, the crucifix is unique one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. this is my “purse” rosary. The ones I carry around in pocket, car, various bags for various activities (my CCD bag, my cenacle bag, my monastery bag, my chapel bag, my bible study bag etc.) are inexpensive wood and cord rosaries, I seldom pay more than $5 for a rosary, and always have a few to give away. Of course it does not matter which one I pray with, but like any other religious art or artifacts, using beautiful aids to prayer honors Our Lady.
 
ValiantDomain said:
I was browsing the religious catalogue last night over at ewtn.com, and I decided to look through the rosaries - and to my surprise, I found some rosaries being sold for $250!!! :eek: I, for the life of me, can’t understand why such expensive rosaries exist, who would buy them, what for, and why you would potentially use one (or, heaven forbid, carry one around)!!!

Why? What is the purpose?
Click to expand...
Having had a rosary made to my specifications for over $400, I will share you my opinions and thoughts
  1. I am more inclined to use a rosary that expensive, just so I can get my money’s worth out if it:D
  2. It was a 4-decade Rosary For the Holy Souls In Purgatory
  3. The 40 “Hail Mary” were Amethyst, which has a special meaning for us recovered alcoholics, as is the fact that purple is a traditional color for mercy.
  4. The large “Our Father” beads were skulls, a reminder of my own mortality, :eek: and that this rosary was intended to help The Church Suffering.
  5. Actually, the skull beads were doubled up. One skull bead for prayers and intentions at the end of a decade, and the other for prayers and intentions at the start of the next decade.
  6. The three Hail Mary beads on the drop are white, green, and red, for faith, hope, and love
  7. The crucifex is the Pardon Crucifix, and the center is The Holy Spirit
  8. All this helps to concentrate my mind on the prayers and intentions, whilst reducing outside distractions.
I have many times spent more then $400 on material things of little value, with nothing to show for it. This Rosary, as far as I am concerned, is a spiritual investment.

As always, just my abject humble opinions, neither endorsed nor opposed by my three cats. 😦 👍 YMMV
 
Andruschak said:
Having had a rosary made to my specifications for over $400, I will share you my opinions and thoughts
  1. I am more inclined to use a rosary that expensive, just so I can get my money’s worth out if it:D
  2. It was a 4-decade Rosary For the Holy Souls In Purgatory
  3. The 40 “Hail Mary” were Amethyst, which has a special meaning for us recovered alcoholics, as is the fact that purple is a traditional color for mercy.
  4. The large “Our Father” beads were skulls, a reminder of my own mortality, :eek: and that this rosary was intended to help The Church Suffering.
  5. Actually, the skull beads were doubled up. One skull bead for prayers and intentions at the end of a decade, and the other for prayers and intentions at the start of the next decade.
  6. The three Hail Mary beads on the drop are white, green, and red, for faith, hope, and love
  7. The crucifex is the Pardon Crucifix, and the center is The Holy Spirit
  8. All this helps to concentrate my mind on the prayers and intentions, whilst reducing outside distractions.
I have many times spent more then $400 on material things of little value, with nothing to show for it. This Rosary, as far as I am concerned, is a spiritual investment.

As always, just my abject humble opinions, neither endorsed nor opposed by my three cats. 😦 👍 YMMV
Click to expand...
Sounds like a beautiful and unique Rosary with a lot of meaning 👍

I’ve often heard the term ‘Pardon Crucifix’ - what exactly is it? :confused:
 
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