amethyst dyed Mexican onyx - after

The original beads had a large center hole, and were shaped somewhat like donuts. I found some similarly colored pressed glass beads that were "flying saucer" shaped, close enough in shape, though not a perfect match. They were as big, or slightly bigger than the largest of the remaining original beads. I would call the color of the new beads "vanilla/raspberry-swirl." I chose some cathedral beads in the same white/purple glass for the Our-Father beads.

I had almost enough original beads for all the Hail-Mary beads on the circlet, so I put 3 of the new Hail-Mary beads on the drop and then sorted the original beads by width, graduating the beads from the largest, near the centerpiece, to the smallest, on the opposite side of the circlet. The only new Hail-Mary bead on circlet could then be placed just on the other side of the centerpiece from the largest original bead, where it blends in very well.

I strung each of the original beads on top of 4 #15 silver-lined crystal seed beads. This was to fill the large hole in the donut-shaped beads, keeping the bead centered on the beading cable, and limiting the amount of wobble, to which the bead is subject. I added the centerpiece. I don't think the original ever had one. I used a nickel-silver Fatima centerpiece from Our Lady's Rosary Makers. I made a wrapped-wire bail for the cross from 18 gauge nickel-silver craft wire.

amethyst dyed Mexican onyx

The owner brought this to me to restore if I could. She had had it for many years, and it had great sentimental value for her. Originally it had been a standard 5 decade ["Dominican"] rosary. The same beads were use for the Our-Father and the Hail-Mary beads. Only a long separation between the Our-Father beads and the Hail-Mary beads distinguished them. Silver-lined bugle beads and #7 silver-lined seed beads separated the OFs from the HMs. Within the decades, the Hail-Mary beads were separated from each other by a single #7 silver-lined seed bead. Of the original 59 beads, only 49 remained. of the original seed beads and bugles less than half remained and they had lost most of the original silver lining. The beads were strung on a single strand of clear mono-filament fishing line, which was brittle with age. The beads varied somewhat in length and diameter. They seemed to be carved from Mexican onyx, and were dyed an amethyst shade of purple. There was a simple cross carved of the same substance. There was no centerpiece.

The owner asked me to keep as much of the remaining parts as I could, and fill in as needed.