Rosary Size Examined
Rosary Size Examined
How big is a rosary? The right rosary size will make it one you will enjoy using for prayer. Consider the bead size, carrying size, and the thumb space.
Rosary Size Examined
Features to Consider
Most rosaries are described by bead size and length. While they can give us an idea, it can be perplexing to imagine how a rosary will fit into the palm of your hand or if it will be easy to hold onto the beads. Two more essential features to consider are the carrying size and the thumb space.
Rosary Length
Rosaries are often described by their length. Cord rosaries are the shortest and wire-wrapped ones are the longest.
To measure, lay your rosary as shown in the photo. Measure from the bottom of the Crucifix to the top. That will give you one to compare.
Bead Size Explained
It can be tricky to imagine the difference in bead sizes. 6mm beads are slightly under ¼ inch. It is an all-around comfortable size for a rosary. 8mm beads (about 1/8 inch larger) are another popular choice. Going from 6mm to 8mm beads adds about 4 inches to the rosary length.
Carrying Size
The beads and structure of the rosary make a difference in how it fits into your palm, pocket, or purse. *Of note, the hand in the photo has a 20cm (8-inch) circumference or distance around the palm.
6mm Bead Rosaries
CLASSIC 6mm
WRAPPED 6mm
CORD 6mm
PARACORD 6mm
8mm Bead Rosaries
CLASSIC 8mm
WRAPPED 8mm
CORD 8mm
PARACORD 8mm
Other Sizes
20-DECADE
550 PARACORD
Significant Beads
Consider if the Our Father beads will be easy to notice while deep in prayer. When they are prominent in some way, you can avoid the distraction of trying to find your spot on a rosary. A way we help with this is to wire wrap and add caps to the Our Father beads of our classic wire and chain rosaries. We sometimes also change their size or colour.
Prayer Size: Comparing Thumb Space
The beads and rosary structure determine how comfortable the thumb space will feel. You are less likely to lose your spot if you have enough room to grasp the beads as you pray.
Basic linked chain rosaries have about a ¼-inch thumb space, while wire wrapping has about a ½-inch spacing. The thumb space and flexibility of cord or Paracord rosaries depend on the knot spacing. When placing a custom order, you can ask for extra thumb space.
CLASSIC
Classic Rosaries have a thumb space of about 0.5 cm or slightly less than 1/4 inch.
WRAPPED
Wire-wrapped rosaries have a thumb space of about 0.9 cm or about 3/8 inch.
CORD
95 Paracord rosaries can have a thumb space of about 0.6 cm or about 1/4 inch or more.
PARACORD
The 550 Paracord rosaries have a thumb space of about 1 cm or almost 1/2 inch.
In Conclusion
We make a variety of rosaries to suit personal needs, comfort, and preferences. An ideal rosary frees your mind and heart to pray more deeply and meaningfully without the distractions of trying to grasp the Hail Mary beads or find the Our Father beads.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere in 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet resources. We’d like you to use it as a starting point for your research to verify facts and build a reference list.
IN REVIEW
When choosing a rosary, we can consider:
- Rosary Length (from the bottom of the Crucifix to the top center)
- Bead Size (6mm beads are a little less than 1/4 inch. 8mm beads (5/16 inch) make a rosary about 4 inches longer.)
- Thumb Space (Thumb space determines how easy it is to grasp the beads.)
- Carrying Size (How well it fits into your palm, pocket, or purse.)