Need Feeback on Rosaries - kind of beads, etc

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Tamelyne

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Hello, everyone. I have an online store selling prayer beads. Since I am Eastern Rite, I mostly sell chotkis.

But I do have a few rosaries on my site. I have online friends who sell rosaries for $200-$300. I can’t seem to sell a rosary that costs more than $40. In fact, I took most of my artisan rosaries off my website and gave them away as Christmas and Birthday gifts. My $30-$40 rosaries are made of Bethlehem olivewood, olive pits, or black glass beads.

I’ve decided to restock my artisan rosaries. These would be rosaries that cost $75 or more, because they are made with gemstones and sterling or gold-filled or vermeil. But I don’t want another fiasco where I invest a lot of money in them and they don’t sell.

So I’d like some feedback. If you were going to spend $75 to $200 on a rosary, what would you be looking for? What kind of beads - Bali Silver? a particular style of semiprecious gemstone? A particular color? Wire loops, wire-wrapped, or flexwire? Is there any particular style of crucifix or centerpiece that is preferable?

Please help! Since I’m Eastern Rite, I guess I just don’t have a finger on the pulse of the Latin Rite. (My Chaplets don’t sell either.) Tell me what I’m doing wrong.
 
I prefer ones with smooth beads (I have one with wooden beads). I find it is easier on the finders than the ones with beads like put jewels.

Also, for me, the simpler, the better. Those types do not cost that much. I think that is the key, most people are not looking for expensive ones.

PF
 
People don’t just go out and buy a $400 rosary. Those are things that are good for wedding or anniversary presents. Also, not everyone would actually use something that expensive, and would not want a rosary they would never use. I’m almost sure I’d lose something that expensive.
 
What I primarily look for in a rosary is unbreakableness, so a $2.50 plastic bead/nylon cord rosary is a better value to me than a $250.00 or even $25.00 with beads made of semiprecious stones or fine woods, but with silver plated brass chains that easily break. I recently found a chain link rosary in a resale shop with either black plastic or some kind of black stone beads, but with a thicker steel chain than I have ever seen on any other rosary. While I think I paid about one dollar for it, had I seen it for sale new I think I would have been willing to pay $25.00 for it. But $200.00 or more for a rosary? that’s a little steep.
 
Wire wrapped. Bows instead of jump rings…Anything that will make it** stronger…**
I have been making crocheted ones, because I enjoy it, but also because I know that I am not going to have it break in pieces.
I really don’t trust the flexwire! I don’t care how many people tell me how strong it is, I have had to vacuum up too many beads from strung necklaces to trust flexwire for a pricey gemstone rosary!
 
I cannot see spending that kind of money on a rosary, sorry.

Maybe in up to $50 for an anniversary gift, but even then it isn’t likely.

Just not into spending alot for religious items that are ornate like that.
 
Study construction above all. I prefer dark colored rosaries, dark woods, dark gemsones.

As for a crucifix, I might suggest somthing beutiful but unique. That is as you are eastern, is there a eastern-style crucifix that coudl fit the bill.

I again dont think i could spend that much money aside from a huge event. perhaps you could cut down on costs by having rosarys over $100 made by special request. that would give you the opportunity to do exactly what your customer wants for that much money, and perhaps some sort of personalization (engraving on the back of the medallion, or back of the crucifix). if it takes time to get supplies and to build, let them be aware that there will be a X week delay. I think people who would spend that much money on a rosary would rather wait for a stunningly beautiful sacrimental, than get a sorta pretty one now.
 
i think durability is the key issue. if i get well again, i plan to make rosaries of tumbled stones. i think a hard silver wire. right now i don;t know ho to reliably glue the wire to the stone. it is much too hard to drill stone, at least for me. i have read epoxy, but i have never had much luck with epoxies. i want to make rosdaries that will last a lifetime or more. and again i think durability!
 
jwilkman, I think you can get pre-drilled tumbled stones of appropriate sizes from www.firemountaingems.com That way, you can just wire the eye-loops. But if you wanted to go with undrilled stones, there are easy lessons for wire-wrapping on the net, too.

I want to try wiring each bead - but I think it’s going to be tough on the hands, even with half-hard wire. I’m still pretty rusty at holding a pair of pliers in each hand, but it’s coming back to me! 🙂

I don’t have much of an income, so I thought that I could tithe by donating handmade rosaries and chaplets and bracelets to the Church gift shop and maybe to prison/hospital ministries.

Tamelyne, I’ve not sold any of my rosaries - I mostly use fairly inexpensive materials, (pewter and silverplate) but I make each bead and the time required is substantial - if I were to price them the way that I price my other work for sale, a rosary would cost way more than the perceived value, even if I were to cut my hourly wage to $4-5/hr.

I recently made one with a vermeil centerpiece and crucifix and if I were to charge my usual $10-12/hr plus materials, the rosary would cost $2-300! (Ack!) Most casual online shoppers will not be looking for such an expensive piece.

But you can get their attention and make them realize that these are “heirloom” type items and wonderful gifts for graduations, new babies, weddings, anniversaries, etc.

If you do go with the higher cost items, remember that the customer can’t pick up the rosary and handle it to make a decision. You’ll have to “be their hands” and substitute visual and verbal information for their tactile sense. You should have as many pictures as possible of them - an overview or two plus several closeups plus a very good written description. What is it made of? What special techniques go into making that piece? How does it feel in your hands? How can they know it will be durable as well as beautiful? You get the idea.

Hope that’s some help. 🙂

Good luck and have fun with it!
Elizabeth
 
A 400 dollar rosary, oh my!! The folks around here generally have several and tend to run with the cheaper ones like about 5 dollars or less coz these are working rosaries, they get worn out, lost or given away!

I make rosaries and I love the pretty ones but they are for very special occasions only and I tend just to use plastic beads and tiger tail or nylon cord for the folk who do not want work mates to pick up on the chink of metal.:blessyou:
 
I have a nice rosary with wooden beads that cost about $15. I don’t know what kind of wood it is but I’m very happy with it.
 
Thank you all for your feedback. Hmm. I wonder where my friends are finding customers that would spend so much money?

I do okay on my artisan chotkis, but these tend to run less than $100 each, because I don’t have to buy a crucifix and a centerpiece, and I don’t have to deal with 4 connections (3 on the centerpiece, 1 on the cross).

Maybe I should just stick with what’s working, no?
 
Hi, Tamelyne-- I just took a look at your site. I think that your wood rosaries & chotkis are beautiful. I think they are some of the nicest on the web (that I have seen).
Maybe you could just offer the things that do sell, with an option to make custom rosaries. (Several places I know of have stopped offering these).
Anyhow, hope all goes well, & I just might be:) buying a chotki from you some time. God bless.
 
Ahem. I’m going to use this for free advertisment for myself…LOL! I have an eBay store with sterling to solid gold Rosary centers and Rosary Crucifixes and if you ask me personally, I sometimes even break down and sell some of my beads. I have a domain but it’s not up yet, which will be Rosary Supply, but for now you can check me out here:

stores.ebay.co.uk/Novena-Rosary-Religious-Articles

Now, I’m a wire-wrapper by trade, so that is what I like to do, and what I can talk about with quite a bit of confidence. I’ve never gotten into stringing because my daughter seems to be able to break any strung Rosary by just staring at it harshly and the same with chain loop, except that’s only one bead and not the WHOLE string that comes undone.

If you’re going to wire-wrap, you want to get some good ergonomic pliers and a nice pair of flush cutters. I also recommend you work with half-hard to retain the wire’s shape without overstraining yourself with full-hard.

I do pretty well, but I’ve been online for over 2 years now and I’ve been doing it for quite awhile, so I’ve built somewhat of a rapport. I find it very fulfilling and rewarding and recommend anyone that feels the calling to make Rosaries try at least 2 or 3. Your first one is always ugly and shameful :o(though you will probably be very proud of it until you make the 2nd or 3rd). Still, never give up your 1st Rosary because it’s a good reminder of bringing you back to the beginning. I sold mine, and now I wish I hadn’t. At least I have pictures to look back on, though.

Hope that helps!🙂
Dianna Polzin
Novena Rosary
novenarosary.com
217-963-2850
Wire-wrapped Gemstone Rosaries
 
Oh, and I’m one of those $250 and even higher (oh my! :eek:) Rosary places. They’re aren’t overpriced, in fact, they are underpriced considering that a jeweler would charge for the same materials and workmanship in the form of a necklace. At least it has some spiritual value! Wire-wrapping takes all day and is physically intensive. So, if you spent 6 hours at work, what do you expect to make per hour (plus you get insurance, benefits, 401k, etc.)? Then, think about buying a strand of gem grade lapis lazuli, not the cheap things that are sold at eBay, but good quality that you would find in a jewelry store. Now, buy a solid sterling silver Crucifix and center with an average weight of about 15 grams or more total. Now, buy some handmade sterling Bali beads and spacers and sterling wire, and chain. Okay, now go find some beautiful handmade lampwork beads that are made from an artist that blows glass into a beautiful 3D roses beads for the Our Fathers. Oh, you might want to keep it in a nice box and nice pouch, too.

Now, does $250.00 total for something with a lifetime guarantee sound like too much for you? An heirloom you can proudly pass down to your family, but with more significance than a necklace or pendant, and can be passed down to a boy or a girl and will last literally centuries? That’s why I choose to make the expensive Rosaries that I do, and I have hundreds of happy customers that have never regretted their decision to buy a Rosary I made for them. And…the bonus, they got to custom design it so that it truly is something personal and unique. 😃

Dianna​

Novena Rosary
novenarosary.com
217-963-2850
 
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buzzcut:
I have a nice rosary with wooden beads that cost about $15. I don’t know what kind of wood it is but I’m very happy with it.
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I have a string-tied olive-wood rosary made in Italy that cost about the same. I love using it. The wood is beautiful and the large oval beads have a wonderful feel.

For a chotki (for the Jesus Prayer) I use a 108-bead (plus 3 spacers) Rosewood MALA that I found on eBay and that cost just a bit more. This too has a wonderful look and feel. I attached a Catholic medal to it, had it blessed, and since at 108 + 3 = 111 ( 1 = 1 = 1 = 3), it results in a number symbolism of Three that (so far as I am concerned, anyway) honors the Holy Trinity.

:gopray:
 
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romano:
and since at 108 + 3 = 111 ( 1 = 1 = 1 = 3), it results in a number symbolism of Three that (so far as I am concerned, anyway) honors the Holy Trinity.
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Sorry folks, that should of course have read 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.

And my wife is a mathematician! :eek:
 
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