Hi I want a good quality handmade rosary and I was wondering if anyone ever bought one online? So my questions for you are:
Is buying a rosary online safe?
When do you think I will get it if I do buy online?
Are all rosaries handmade?
Is it safe to put my credit card info online?
Do you know of any good websites to go to?
I have found a few
www.beadifulrosaries.com
fiftyninebeads.com/
These are some that look pretty good please I need help it’s my daughters first communion in a month.
I’ve made a lot of rosaries (although I’ve never sold any) and I’d think that any chain rosaries (metal between the beads) would have to be made by hand. I have no evidence of it, but I can’t think of how a “rosary machine” would work.
The rosaries at beadifulrosaries look good, and the ability to design your own is fun, but it doesn’t say what size any of the beads are (or alternatively how long the rosary itself would be), which would be nice to know.
The rosaries at fiftyninebeads are absolutely gorgeous, but they appear to be just beads on string or thread, which I would think is less durable (especially for a child) than ones with metal. However, you could ask them about it, because they could be using a plastic-coated-wire type of string, which is quite durable. The pictures aren’t detailed enough for me to tell for sure.
I have bought things at the following online stores:
catholicfamilycatalog.com
ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com
leafletonline.com
aquinasandmore.com
catholiccompany.com
They all seem to be fine retailers with wide rosary selections, although of course I haven’t actually bought rosaries from them on account of making my own.
If you’re wondering what the bead sizes mean, generally 4mm is used in the smallest rosaries (although sometimes you’ll find 3mm), 6mm is probably the most common, and 8mm is OK, but might be a bit hard for a child to use from being a bit big and (depending on materials) heavy for their hands.
Also, if the rosary doesn’t come with one, you probably want to buy a case for it. My personal preference is for zippers rather than snaps, because when you are fastening the snap, you frequently squish the rosary. Not that any decent rosary can’t stand a fair bit of squishing, but usually they get enough of that in the ordinary course of use, without the case adding to it.
But you may also want to just check in the phone book to see if there are any Catholic stores in your area. Actually, I found a few rosaries in a Protestant bookstore once, but for obvious reasons, the selection isn’t as good. Anyway, the Catholic store in my area is listed under “Religious Supplies-Christian” in the Yellow Pages. (It’s also under “Books” but it’s harder to find there.) Then you can see the rosaries in person and that may be more fun as well as handy knowing that you can take it home with you rather than having it shipped.
BTW, there is a temptation, especially for first communion, to get a rosary that has some pearls in it. I would personally recommend against real pearls in any rosary, but especially one for a child, because they are so fragile (the pearls, not the children!). But that is just my personal opinion–if everyone agreed with me, there wouldn’t be so many pearl rosaries out there.
Good luck finding the perfect one, and here’s hoping your daughter prays it a lot!
–Jen
P.S. about security–it’s not necessary that the whole website has the lock icon (assuming you’re using Internet Explorer–other browsers indicate security settings in different ways), it is only necessary that the lock icon be present during the checkout process. There’s nothing particularly private about the contents of your cart, only in the personal information you supply during checkout. Basically, if you’re entering information (like name, address, credit card number) in a window, the lock should be there.
