Fashion Trend: Wearing Rosaries as Jewelry

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While shopping lately I’ve noticed a lot of ‘necklaces’ that look exactly like rosaries. They are out there for people to buy and then wear as decorative jewelry. I have also seen a lot of jewelry with random charms that feature an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for example, but are not sold for religious uses, but for decorative purposes. I feel that this is extremely disrespectful to rosaries and the Church, and is also sacrilegious, and I’m wondering what others think? Since they are not items created to be used as proper rosaries is this something I shouldn’t worry about? I feel as if I should be buying these things and putting them in a drawer somewhere just so no one misuses them (that might be a little extreme)!

Here is an example of what I’m talking about. It’s not the best example because this particular item is not an exact copy of a rosary, but it gives one the general idea
buckle.com/bke-long-fleur-link-necklace/prd-16840N9827/sku-9467310000
 
They wear them for fashion where I live too. They even wear them after they unravel, or after the crosses fall off! It really upsets me. I’m one of the only Catholics in my area, yet I am one of the only people at my school that does not wear a rosary. (I have been on somewhat of a crusade to teach my fellow students the true meaning and use of the rosary.):knight2:
 
Using sacred symbols and tools as secular jewelry rubs me the wrong way too. Although, when you think about it could also be interpreted as a good sign about society, that it hasn’t become so anti-Christian yet that secular-minded people would shun Christian symbols.

I suspect most (certainly not all) people who wear such things consider themselves Christian in some way, or at least were raised Christian and haven’t specifically rejected it. They are very superficial at this point in their lives, and it probably doesn’t even occur to them that they are doing anything improper. They just think “Pretty necklace! I like that cross and those beads lol” or “Cool rosary bro. All thuggin and stuff.” Ok, that’s not quite how they talk, I think. :rolleyes:
 
At certain stores I like, I see them too.

It gets me irritated! Ha. Sometimes I just want to say “Know the names of those Saints on the Bracelet?” haha. But then I recently learned them too, I think. 😃
I see guys wearing them a lot.
 
I’m assuming that these rosaries aren’t blessed and the people aren’t doing it to be deliberately disrespectful, but I agree, it does rub me the wrong way.
 
This discussion keeps coming-up in various forms.

It is often an ethnic question. Wearing Rosaries as jewelry is more acceptable in some cultures than others. I do not presume to know what is in someone else’s heart, so I try not to be judgmental about the practice. It is certainly not sacrilegious per se, monks have worn them for years, and many people wear crosses and crucifixes as jewelry.

The Rosary I am currently using comes from the Vatican, and was blessed by The Holy Father, yet it does have a small clasp halfway around the string, so one could easily wear it. (I don’t.) It is a stunningly beautiful Rosary, given to me by a friend–wood with a brass St. Benedict medal, and I treasure it.

It is, I think, objectionable if merely done as a fashion statement, but…
 
Allegra said:
I’m assuming that these rosaries aren’t blessed and the people aren’t doing it to be deliberately disrespectful, but I agree, it does rub me the wrong way.
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For a while in our city, Cadillac hood ornaments were worn as jewelry. Kids would go to the Cadillac dealership and steal them off the new cars, which led the dealer to remove the ornaments until the cars were sold. Like you, it rubs me the wrong way to see rosaries used as mere jewelry. It also troubles me that people hang them off their rear-view mirrors.
 
LegoGE1947 said:
For a while in our city, Cadillac hood ornaments were worn as jewelry. Kids would go to the Cadillac dealership and steal them off the new cars, which led the dealer to remove the ornaments until the cars were sold. Like you, it rubs me the wrong way to see rosaries used as mere jewelry. It also troubles me that people hang them off their rear-view mirrors.
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umm…ahem…I have one on my rear view mirror. I often say the rosary while driving, especially when it comes on the radio. Lately, I’ve been driving home right when they say the Divine Mercy Chapelet so I say it while I’m stuck in traffic. It’s also always in my car in case I decide to stop by for Adoration. 😊
 
Allegra said:
umm…ahem…I have one on my rear view mirror. I often say the rosary while driving, especially when it comes on the radio. Lately, I’ve been driving home right when they say the Divine Mercy Chapelet so I say it while I’m stuck in traffic. It’s also always in my car in case I decide to stop by for Adoration. 😊
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I also have one in my car but I don’t hang it on my rear-view mirror. I have been pulled over by the police for having things hanging from my mirror, so I don’t do it. I keep my rosary in the console between the bucket seats.
 
I’ve always enjoyed seeing a rosary hanging in a person’s car. For me it makes for a conversation starter as well as a sign of unity; I have yet to speak with a person who wasn’t also prayerful. The link showing the jewelry similar to a rosary didn’t bother me. I feel sad for those that may not believe in the symbolism of what they are wearing; but once again it is an opportunity to converse and possibly be a witness on the subject. I consider myself an optimist…maybe that is where my view is also derived from; good can come from these situations where the person may not be a practicing Christian 🙂
 
JadeHand said:
While shopping lately I’ve noticed a lot of ‘necklaces’ that look exactly like rosaries. They are out there for people to buy and then wear as decorative jewelry. I have also seen a lot of jewelry with random charms that feature an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for example, but are not sold for religious uses, but for decorative purposes. I feel that this is extremely disrespectful to rosaries and the Church, and is also sacrilegious, and I’m wondering what others think? Since they are not items created to be used as proper rosaries is this something I shouldn’t worry about? I feel as if I should be buying these things and putting them in a drawer somewhere just so no one misuses them (that might be a little extreme)!

Here is an example of what I’m talking about. It’s not the best example because this particular item is not an exact copy of a rosary, but it gives one the general idea
buckle.com/bke-long-fleur-link-necklace/prd-16840N9827/sku-9467310000
Click to expand...
I wear a Saint bracelet, with pictures of Christ, Mary, and the Saints, but I don’t wear my Rosary anymore.
 
Those wearing the Rosary as an ornament are making a statement or maybe not. Anyway, it can’t hurt them and our Lady just might have something in mind for them.
 
Wearing relegous jewere could be an opening for witnessing to the one wearing/asking about it. 👍
 
I really don’t see how it’s a big deal. We ‘misuse’ the symbols of other religions as well. Look at the pentagram. Look at the caduceus (a.k.a. staff of Hermes). Heck, even the Catholic Tolkien used runic script and those originally had significant religious meanings to the ancient peoples of Europe.
 
Aelred_Minor said:
Using sacred symbols and tools as secular jewelry rubs me the wrong way too. Although, when you think about it could also be interpreted as a good sign about society, that it hasn’t become so anti-Christian yet that secular-minded people would shun Christian symbols.
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Yeah, I’m not too pleased about today’s fashion statement either. I think that you are right about it being hopefully a good omen, and that we should be grateful that relatively few people are walking the streets with their pentagrams in plain view.
mab23 said:
im not a fan of wearing the Rosary - unless you pray that Rosary
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I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who gets irritated that people are wearing or displaying the Rosary without having said it in years. I don’t say the Rosary nearly as often as I should so, for me, I would feel like a hypocrite. It’s funny but, today I was watching a TV show about ghosts and the narrator said something to the effect that Catholics use Rosaries and medals as talismans to ward off evil. **I am so sick and tired of hearing this kind of misinformation! ** It always makes me nauseated and wanting to scream “THAT’S NOT WHAT WE BELIEVE!” (The other gem of false facts that grates on me is the use of the title “Immaculate Conception” instead of “Virgin Birth” but that’s for another thread…) :bigyikes:

Oh, and BListon, you are to be commended for enlightening your peers about the Rosary. That’s gotta be a really tough job! The Lord will certainly bless you for your evangelization. (I mean that in a good way!)
 
LegoGE1947 said:
I also have one in my car but I don’t hang it on my rear-view mirror. I have been pulled over by the police for having things hanging from my mirror, so I don’t do it. I keep my rosary in the console between the bucket seats.
Click to expand...
I didn’t realize there was a law against hanging things from your rear view mirror. Wait until I tell my brother! He hangs his college parking tag from his mirror everyday and it’s certainly much wider than my rosary! Seriously though, a rosary doesn’t obstruct my windshield any more that the mirror itself does. (At least it doesn’t in my car.) I haven’t really got a better place to put it in my little car. I once experimented with hanging it from the sun visor but I found it was a two-handed job to get it down again. Aside from having it available at all times, I think it gives a witness to others and might even deter thieves from breaking in and stealing my CD player since the corpus dangles right in front of it. (You have to be REALLY evil to be able to sleep at night after stealing a CD player with Jesus dying for your sins right in your face.)
 
Yeah, the rosary rear-view mirror thing is a tough one. I had never felt as if there was a problem with that, but really how can it be any different than wearing one? They both seem to be for decorative purposes, or almost kind’ve to show off. Unless the person driving the car with it there really does take it down to pray the rosary in spare moments. I just keep mine in my purse for that though.
 
I once saw a store display of Rosaries intended to be worn as jewelry. Just out of curiosity, I examined them. They didn’t have ten beads to the decade, so technically, I suppose, they weren’t real Rosaries.
 
Yes, I’ll tell you a story. I found a stainless steel rosary and stainless scapular online. I was so excited over the “durability” that I bought them at once. When they arrived, I could see that I had purchased “jewelry.” I wore the SS scapular once when my cloth scapular was far too prominent to wear to the place I was going. (I didn’t want to make others uncomfortable) The metal Scapular was long enough to actually tuck in so that it remained “silent.” Other than that, they remain only in my drawer. I don’t like others wearing rosaries or others for jewelry, either. Don’t worry, it will pass and they will find something else to wear.🙂
 
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