How to Make a Rosary: Beads, Sizes and Supplies

A 5-decade rosary has 59 beads: 53 Hail Mary beads and 6 Our Father beads, plus a centerpiece and a crucifix. To make one you need the beads (1 or 2 strands, depending on the size), something to string them on (beading wire and 4 crimp tubes, knotting cord, or eye pins and pliers), and a centerpiece and crucifix. Here is how the beads are laid out, which sizes to choose, 3 ways to string a rosary, and how much to buy.

Our free Bead Calculator has a Rosary setting that works out the strands, wire and crimps for any bead size, and draws the finished rosary as you change it.

How a Rosary Is Laid Out

A rosary has 2 parts: a short tail that hangs from the centerpiece, and a loop of 5 decades. Hail Mary beads come in groups and Our Father beads stand alone, which is why the Our Father beads are usually a little larger or a different stone, so they can be found by touch. Starting at the crucifix and working up:

1. Crucifix. Hangs at the end of the tail.
2. 1 Our Father bead.
3. 3 Hail Mary beads.
4. 1 Our Father bead. The last bead on the tail, just below the centerpiece. It begins the first decade.
5. Centerpiece. A small medal, often of Mary or a saint, that joins the tail to the loop.
6. The loop. 5 decades of 10 Hail Mary beads, with 1 Our Father bead between each decade: 50 Hail Mary beads and 4 Our Father beads in all.

That makes 5 beads on the tail and 54 on the loop, for 59 beads. The crucifix and centerpiece are not counted as beads.

What You Need to Make a Rosary

What Size Beads Should I Use?

The bead size sets the size of the rosary. 6 mm and 8 mm are the most popular sizes for Hail Mary beads: 6 mm makes a slim rosary that fits in a pocket or purse, and 8 mm is the classic size, easy to hold and to count by touch. 10 mm beads make a larger rosary that is easier for stiff or arthritic fingers, and 4 mm beads make a small rosary for a child or a keepsake. For the Our Father beads, go 1 size up (8 mm with 6 mm Hail Mary beads, 10 mm with 8 mm) or use a different stone in the same size.

Here is how long the loop comes out for round beads on beading wire, measured all the way around through the middle of the beads. The tail, centerpiece and crucifix hang below the loop and add to the overall length.

Knots or spacers between the beads make the loop longer: knotted 8 mm beads come out at about 20 in around. For other sizes, rondelles, spacers or knots, set the Bead Calculator to Rosary and enter your beads.

Choosing Stones for a Rosary

A rosary is handled every day, so hardness matters as much as color. Stones in the quartz family, such as rose quartz, amethyst, crystal quartz and onyx, are about 7 on the Mohs scale and hold their polish through years of use. Softer materials like pearl, mother of pearl and lapis lazuli are traditional and beautiful, and they will show wear sooner.

• Rose quartz: soft pink, a favorite for gifts.
• Lapis lazuli: deep blue, the color traditionally associated with Mary.
• Amethyst: purple, the liturgical color of Advent and Lent.
• Pearl and mother of pearl: white, popular for First Communion and wedding rosaries. Pearls often have small holes, so check the hole size on the listing (our freshwater pearl guide explains why).
• Onyx: black and understated, a common choice for men's rosaries.
• Crystal quartz: clear, and it pairs with any centerpiece.
• Wood: light, warm and traditional.

For the Our Father beads, a contrast works well: rose quartz with amethyst, lapis with crystal quartz, or wood with onyx. Any stone in our gemstone bead collection will work.

3 Ways to String a Rosary

1. Beading Wire and Crimps

The quickest method, and a strong one. Use nylon-coated beading wire sized to your beads (see the table above) and 4 crimp tubes. Most centerpieces have 2 loops at the top for the ends of the loop and 1 at the bottom for the tail.

1. String the loop. On a piece of wire about 6 in longer than the loop, string 10 Hail Mary beads, 1 Our Father bead, and repeat until you have 5 decades, ending with 10 Hail Mary beads (50 Hail Mary and 4 Our Father beads).
2. Close the loop at the centerpiece. Pass one end through a crimp tube, through one top loop of the centerpiece, and back through the crimp tube and the first 2 or 3 beads. Snug the beads up and crimp. Repeat on the other end with the other top loop, leaving a little ease so the loop drapes instead of kinking. Trim the tails.
3. String the tail. Attach a short piece of wire to the bottom loop of the centerpiece with a crimp tube, then string 1 Our Father bead, 3 Hail Mary beads and 1 Our Father bead.
4. Add the crucifix. Pass the wire through a crimp tube, the loop of the crucifix, and back through the crimp tube and a bead or two. Crimp and trim.

Our guide to using crimp beads shows how to make a secure crimp, and choosing beading wire covers strand counts and diameters.

2. Knotted Cord

A knot between each bead gives a rosary a soft drape and a traditional, handmade look, and if the cord ever breaks, the beads stay put. Use S-Lon nylon cord, the thickest size that passes through your beads, so the knots don't slip inside the holes. Knotting takes about 3 times the finished length of cord: about 5.5 ft for a rosary of 8 mm beads.

Knot the loop first, tying an overhand knot after each bead and sliding it snug with an awl, then tie both ends to the centerpiece. Knot the tail the same way and tie it to the crucifix, sealing the final knots with a drop of glue. The knotting technique is the same one in How to Make a Mala Necklace.

3. Linked with Eye Pins

Each bead goes on its own eye pin, the wire is turned into a loop on the other side with round nose pliers, and each bead is linked to the next, loop to loop. A linked rosary takes the longest to make and is the most durable, which is why it is the usual choice for a rosary meant to be handed down.

1. Make the bead links. Slide a bead onto an eye pin, trim the wire to about 3/8 in above the bead with a flush cutter, and bend it into a loop with round nose pliers. Make all 59 the same way.
2. Link the decades. Open a loop sideways (never pull it open), hook it into the next bead's loop, and close it flat with flat nose pliers, following the same order as the strung rosary.
3. Join the centerpiece and crucifix. Link the ends of the loop to the centerpiece, and link the tail between the centerpiece and the crucifix.

Our eye pins are 0.7 mm (21 gauge), which fits beads with holes of about 0.8 mm or more: most 10 mm beads and many 8 mm beads. For beads with smaller holes, use thinner wire-wrapping wire and make your own pins. The wire loops add length between the beads, so a linked rosary comes out longer than a strung one; to estimate it in the calculator, choose a 3 or 4 mm spacer.

How Many Strands Do I Need?

Our round bead strands are 15 in long, with about 58 beads on a strand of 6 mm, 45 on a strand of 8 mm and 37 on a strand of 10 mm. A single strand of 6 mm covers the 53 Hail Mary beads, and a second strand covers the Our Father beads if you use the same stone. With 8 mm or 10 mm beads, 2 strands cover all 59. Natural stone strands include the occasional chipped or off-center bead, so the extras are worth having. If you are making several rosaries for a parish group or a rosary ministry, set the quantity in the Bead Calculator and it will total the strands for the whole batch.

Finishing and Care

Before you call it done, hold the rosary by the crucifix and let it hang: check that every crimp or knot is tight, every loop is fully closed, and the decades are counted correctly. Many Catholics ask a priest to bless a finished rosary before it is used or given. To care for it, keep it in a small pouch when it is not in use, wipe it with a soft dry cloth, and keep it away from perfume, lotion and household cleaners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many beads are on a rosary?

59: 53 Hail Mary beads and 6 Our Father beads. 54 beads form the loop (5 decades of 10 Hail Mary beads, with 4 Our Father beads between them) and 5 hang on the tail.

What size beads are best for a rosary?

8 mm Hail Mary beads with 10 mm Our Father beads is the classic combination. 6 mm with 8 mm makes a smaller, slimmer rosary.

How long is a rosary?

With 8 mm beads on wire, the loop measures about 18 in all the way around; with 6 mm beads, about 13.5 in. The tail, centerpiece and crucifix hang below the loop.

Which beads are the Our Father beads?

The single beads that stand alone: 4 between the decades on the loop and 2 on the tail, one at each end of the 3 Hail Mary beads.

What is the strongest way to make a rosary?

Linking each bead with an eye pin or wrapped wire. Beading wire with crimps is also strong and much faster to make.

Can I make a 1-decade rosary?

Yes. A 1-decade rosary, often worn as a bracelet, has 10 Hail Mary beads and 1 Our Father bead, usually with a small crucifix.

Shop Rosary Supplies

Start with 8 mm gemstone beads or 6 mm gemstone beads for the Hail Mary beads and 10 mm beads for the Our Fathers, then add beading wire and crimp tubes, S-Lon cord, or eye pins and tools. For bead counts for bracelets and necklaces, see How Many Beads Do I Need? Have you made a rosary? Tell us about it in the comments.