Featured Seeds for beads?

Im not sure if these are seeds or wooden. The (8mm diameter) round carved set are broken and only 17 ins long, the other set (11mm long) are 30 ins long and think the white beads are probably bone. Any ideas about the origin and beads please?

 

Round ones are carved olive wood, I think. The others are nuts/seeds, can't recall what.

 

First set of beads look like nuts; can't tell about the others, but don't see bone. [Edit: Well, maybe bone.] The way it is constructed suggests to me it was a rosary meant to be worn around the neck, now missing the crucifix.

The other set also looks like it may have had religious significance from a different part of the world. @Any Jewelry do these look like wood carved to imitate mala beads? They are also used to keep track of how many times a prayer/mantra is said. Have heard about both that they break of you're a good pray-er.

 

Rosaries aren't meant to be worn. We got told that very firmly, it's sacreligious. The olive wood round ones could possibly be from a rosary: I've one from Israel with similar beads. The nuts might also be part of a rosary, if you're thinking the bone ones are the markers. I can't tell if there's ten in between. Needs to be ten for a rosary.

 

Thanks Bronwen, the rosary makes sense or maybe not after seeing OBBs response.

 

I didn’t know any of that, I always assumed they went round the neck.

 

Funny you should ask about the nuts. I picked up these 3 five days ago in a nearby park, where some areas along the path were littered with them. When I put them in my pocket, all 3 were smooth, only the more elongated one was completely brown, one still had some yellow/green at one end & the other had a lot. Put them on the shelf with all the other shells, pine cones, feathers I pick up. Yesterday noticed they had all changed.



Your beads may be tagua nut.

 

You need five lengths of ten beads, marker between each, then three before the crucifix. Does that add up to what you have?

Oh, and I've just realised. The nuts are olive stones. It almost certainly came from Jerusalem with an olive wood crucifix.

 

Here's an olive stone one, if it shows up: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/479844535268338416

Rosaries are purely devotional, and absolutely not to be worn in any way. The idea is that you hold them, pass each bead through your hand, and say the appropriate prayer for it. Here you go: https://www.dummies.com/religion/christianity/catholicism/how-to-pray-the-rosary/

 

There are 10 nuts between the round bone beads apart from at the base where the crucifix may have become detached.

 

May be, but I see it all the time. Not long ago I complimented a neighbor on her pretty necklace, only to have her draw the rest of it out from under her blouse to show me it was a rosary. I see great big ones worn conspicuously by some young men. However agree with this:

Still think there may have been a crucifix on the end.

 

Ten is fine.

So, in summary, you have an olive stone/pit rosary missing its carved olive wood crucifix, almost certainly from Jerusalem and some spare carved olive wood beads which may also have come from a rosary!

I've seen people wearing rosaries. I haven't been Catholic in a long time, but I do rather wince at it. Up to them, though.

 

You got it OBB, olive stones they are. I haven’t attempted to wear it. I’ll see if I can find a crucifix for it.

 

Thank you.

 

If you can't find one, let me know. I did have a couple of odd ones lying around somewhere. Like you do.

 

Well, I did, until I read Houseful's note & counted for myself.

 

Thank you all.

 

Yes 5 lengths of ten nuts between the round bone beads. Three at the base.

 

ive been picking up conkers today, seems awful to leave them if they are on a road and going to get squashed.

 

Thinking back there was a crucifix on its own in the tin but it was a base metal no wood. Anyway I’m sure I’ve one to suit, it gets hard to remember what I have got in this massive magpies nest.