An Old Rosary

[Kitty_Chan]

Hi

I have a rosary that was either my Grandma’s or my Great Grandma’s. Im thinking my Great Grandma, but Im not sure.

It is made of wooden beads and a kind of metal, I looked and see the new ones are plastic. Is there a way to tell how old it may be?

Does anyone here know about this kind of thing??

 

[Tonks40]

Hi

I have a rosary that was either my Grandma’s or my Great Grandma’s. Im thinking my Great Grandma, but Im not sure.

It is made of wooden beads and a kind of metal, I looked and see the new ones are plastic. Is there a way to tell how old it may be?

Does anyone here know about this kind of thing??

Hi Kitty!

I don’t know much about rosaries and how they have been made over the centuries, but you could maybe take it to an antique appraiser or something.

I do know that though it seems like most rosaries are made out of plastic, there are many that are made of crystal, stone, wood, and many other materials today. You can look at the history or some that are available online.

Sorry I couldn’t be much help.

 

[Teeliumtrozzle]

If they’re made of wood then you might be able to get a scientist to check.They do something called dendrochronology, which tells how old wood is.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Hi Kitty!

I don’t know much about rosaries and how they have been made over the centuries, but you could maybe take it to an antique appraiser or something.

I do know that though it seems like most rosaries are made out of plastic, there are many that are made of crystal, stone, wood, and many other materials today. You can look at the history or some that are available online.

Sorry I couldn’t be much help.

thanks, the site itself only speaks about what to do and for those who want to know what to do with “extra” ones they take them as donations and give them to people who do not have them, or perhaps cannot afford them.

but it gave me a idea and I tried antique rosaries and that got hits and there is a DON Brown museum of rosaires I will have to surf around a bit more.

and for the testing Tee I may if it drives me nuts enough

meantime if anyone has ideas please post, I can try for a better description if needed. Or if anyone sees a site about different types, that would be great.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

shameless bump in case anyone knows…

 

[puzzleannie]

no way to tell, except look on the back of the crucifix or center piece, there might be something to indicate where it came from. a wooden rosary can probably be safely cleaned with water in which a bit of murphy’s oil soap has been dissolved, and a soft rag, then dry well.

are the beads round or oval, plain or carved. if the wood has a lot of apparent grain lines, it is probably olive wood, most likely from the HOly Land. what looks like wood might also be seeds.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

ok well not being Catholic here goes (this should make you all smile, me, not knowing a thing about this

The beads are in 10 1 10 1 10 1 10 1 10 I read older ones have different numbers?

then from the heart down its 1 3 1

The beads are deep purple almost black, seem wooden but not perfect, seem hand cut have some dips and tiny gouges and not shaped evenly.

metal links inbetween

the heart in the middle is a metal almost seems pewter, It has a heart with a cross on top and looks like flames on either side.
And a crown of thorns across the heart. there is a heart outline around it coming down from the cross and fire. On the back is Mary.

The crucifix is metal looks aluminimun but Im not sure
on the back is the stations of the cross and via Cross at the top
and ROMA across the bottom.

on the top left bit there is a spear on the right there is ladder.
left part of bar of cross a hammer? right tongs?
left flame on stick? right bottom different set of tongs with small end.

the front is eagle? at top, angel to left, winged lion? bottom sorta lion but kinda goat looked wings too.

Then Jesus of course in a dark metal with a scroll above His head.

Is all of this “standard” anything different?

corrections on descriptions are allowed if you guys can stop laughing long enough to type

 

[Zooey]

That’s a standard rosary makeup. (Number of beads-wise, I mean).
The materiel sounds very interesting. I mean, a purplish color wood? That;s not olive wood.(Olive is a yellow-brown color, lots of swirls). Are you sure that its wood instead of something like bakelite? Or, as Annie says, some kind of seeds…
Could be…maybe rosewood? Mahogany? What other woods would be that kind of color, I wonder…I know that some rosaries are actually made of roses that are somehow made into a hard bead…That would explain the color. Rosepetals tend to turn purple with age.
It sounds like a really nice rosary…
That crucifix sounds very unusual. Is there any way for you to put up a picture of it? (A friend with a digital camera?)
And “Via Crucis” is “Way of the Cross” in Latin…
I’m fascinated. It really sounds like a beauty. I wonder if there is anyone around here, who is a collector. Someone like that might know more about it.

ETA: If you think that the metal could be pewter, as you mentioned, please, please, don’t use any kind of silver polish on it. Silver polish turns pewter jet black, & there is no way to restore its finish again.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

I took it out in the afternoon sun today and took some pics with my camera. I have a act on photobucket. I store my pic there for another site. I will try to get some time and download the pics hope they turned out. Then I think I store them on photo bucket and link them, do you know if thats right?

But definetely purple almost black in the sun. not evenly shaped. I know of a wood called purple heart but itsharder I think. It could have been dyed?

Grandma and Great Grandma (Dads side) were both from somewhere in Poland, apparentely peasants or something. I understand they were on a boarder so didnt feel they had a homeland. Thats all I know on that side.

My moms however is Irish, complete with lists of whos who and where, pics out front of houses, quite complete. In fact Im trying to find the documents of Grandmas birth and death certificate, going to get ahold of my cousin. But I digress

I will post pics soon. In the meantime yet again Im open to ideas My ole cat curosity is huge.

Oh and I wont clean it, not sure about the pewter but wont take a chance. Also, if it helps the mystery there was 2 pictures, one of Jesus and another of Mary, my brother sold them, he did ask If I wanted them I said no, not thinking but have a feeling we were ripped off. Problem was dad had put them in the attic because he didnt like them. They were with the hearts that are floating so I must confess I thought them creepy. But they are long gone now, so no use crying.