Specialty Beads
Specialty Beads
We use a variety of specialty beads including lampworked & millefiori, glow in the dark, carved roses, Cat’s Eye, acrylic, and knotted rope.
SHOP for Rosaries with Specialty Beads
Our Specialty Beads
Lampworked
The artisan heats coloured glass rods with a torch and then, once it is hot, wraps it around a mandrel. The steel tool turns continuously to form a bead. While the glass is hot, the glassmaker adds colours and designs like flowers.
Millefiori
Flowers are part of the structure of each bead. They are not just surface images. A side view of the beads shows that the lines of the petals go all the way through. The term for these beads is from two Italian words meaning Beads with a Thousand Flowers. Although artisans have made these types of beads in other countries, they became best known in Murano, Italy.
Glow in the Dark
Despite their ability to glow, the beads are both non-toxic and non-radioactive. The chemical process that absorbs and stores light is phosphorescence. In a darkened room, it releases the light, giving it a dramatic glow. When it starts to fade, it needs to absorb more light. Once exposed to the light again, it will begin glowing once more.
How much it glows depends on the lights. We put it under extra good light and then turned it off for the photo.
Carved Roses
The flower beads in the photo are carved wood. They are stained and coated with layers of resin-based polymer. Although they are the same colour as Cinnabar, they are non-toxic.
Glass Cat's Eye
These fiber optic beads are high-quality glass with a smooth texture. The colours capture and reflect the light in a band across the center, like the eye of a cat.
Acrylic
Acrylic beads are lightweight and low cost. They are made from plastic, lucite, and resin.
Knotted Cord
Sometimes, we use knotted cord instead of beads. It is metal-free, with enough space to hold onto the knotted beads. These are great for nickel allergies, praying quietly at night, or bringing into an MRI machine.
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Discover how bead type, size, and spacing change the finished look of a rosary. Click to learn more.
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
The artisan heats coloured glass rods with a torch and then, once it is hot, wraps it around a mandrel. The steel tool turns continuously to form a bead. While the glass is hot, the glassmaker adds colour and designs like flowers.
The term for these beads comes from the Italian “Beads with a Thousand Flowers”. Murano, Italy is best known for making them.
Flowers are not just surface images. A side view of the beads shows that the lines of the petals go all the way through.
Despite their ability to glow, the beads are both non-toxic and non-radioactive. The chemical process that absorbs and stores light is phosphorescence. It absorbs light and then releases it in a darkened room.
These fiber optic beads are high-quality glass with a smooth texture. The colours capture and reflect the light in a band across the center, like the eye of a cat.
At Our Lady of Grace Rosaries, we offer a variety of made-to-order and in-stock rosaries with unique beads.