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12 Types Of Prayer Bead Materials

Prayer Beads, also referred to as rosary or mala, are a chain of beads used by members of certain
religions to keep track of the repetitions of either prayers, devotions or chants. Some of these
religions include catholic and orthodox Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and many more.
Throughout history, many different types of materials have been used in making prayer beads.
Some of these materials were selected as a result of their local availability, while others were
selected for religious or spiritual reasons. Still, some affluent persons have also used more
expensive materials in making their prayer beads, probably as a show of opulence.

The Materials used in making Prayer beads

Following is a listing of the numerous materials that have either been used, or continues to be
used in the making of beads for praying.

1. Seeds
Many kinds of seeds have traditionally been used in the making of beads for praying. These seeds
include:

Bodhi Seeds

The Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree. Therefore mala beads
made from bodhi seeds are considered sacred by Buddhists.

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Abrus Precatorius

This is a plant also referred to with many names like rosary pea and crab's eye. It is native to India
and other tropical areas of the world and has bright red seeds which are good when used both as
jewelry and as stringed beads for praying.

Coix seeds

These are pale-whitish grains from the tropical plant known as Job's tears. These seeds are used
in making liqueur in some countries, and necklaces, ornaments and stringed beads for praying in
others.

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Afzelia Seeds

These are red and black seeds that originate from the Afzelia tree, which is used primarily for
wood and also for medicine.

Rudraksha

Rudraksha seeds are used traditionally in Hinduism for making praying beads. They are hard
seeds with multiple smooth groves on the surface.

2. Wood
Wood is another natural material that has been used in making prayer beads. Different wooden
beads will have different values according to the tree from which it was made. Following are
some trees, which have been using in making wooden praying beads since ages.

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Sandalwood

Sandalwood is an Indian tree that is widely cultivated because of its fragrant timber and oil. It is
one of the favorite materials for Buddhist prayer beads.

Tulasi

Also known as holy basil, this plant is an aromatic plant native to the Indian subcontinent. It is a
sacred plant in Hinduism, so beads made from it are quite special.

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Ebony

Ebony is a dense and completely black hardwood. When polished, it usually has a smooth finish,
which makes it a valuable ornamental wood.

RoseWood

Rosewood is a collective name for a number of timbers with rich hues. They are often brownish,
and with darker veining.

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Agalloch

Agalloch is a fragrant and resinous wood from the specie Aquilaria agallocha, which is native to
eastern India.

Olive

The wood from olive trees is also used in making beads, as well as the seeds.

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Bamboo

There are many different methods of making prayer beads from bamboos. Bamboo is cheap and
durable, and it has a promising future as a universal material.

3. Glass beads

Beads are also made of glass. Glass beads can either be plain and transparent, or have multiple
colors and shapes. Rosaries have been made of glass for a very long time, and when used
together with a metal chain, prayer beads made from glass can be very beautiful.

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4. Coconut beads

Coconut shells can also be used in bead making. To achieve this, first the coconut shell has to be
filed thoroughly on both sides to make it smooth. Then circular pieces are carved out, and a hole
drilled in their middle through which a string can be passed to connect it with other coconut
beads. Due to the nature of coconut beads, it is helpful when a smaller sized bead is added
between two beads, so that they can be easily used in counting during prayer.

5. Pearls

Pearls have long been used as beads for different reasons, including for prayers. Due to their
beauty and relatively difficult method of harvesting, pearls are a little pricey. So praying beads
made from pearls are more expensive that most other types of beads.

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6. Pebbles

Some pebbles can become amazingly beautiful when polished. A pebble is a small piece of rock,
about 2 to 64 millimeters in diameter, and preferably rounded or oval in shape. After polishing, a
hole is drilled right through the pebbles, and a string passed through them to create nice prayer
beads.

7. Plastic Beads

Plastic is the newest material in this list, having been most recently invented. Plastic beads can
come in a wide variety of colors, but they are mostly opaque and prone to scratches. Else plastic
beads are very affordable and in most cases, plastic is the cheapest material for making beads.

8. Gemstones
Gemstones are mineral crystals that may look rough and unattractive when they are raw, but
once they have been cut and polished, they becomes dazzling pieces to marvel at. There are
many different gemstones, and many have been used as jewelry and prayer beads for millenia.
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Following are some of these gemstones:

Corals

Corals are multi-cellular marine organisms classified under invertebrates. They are very important
to the physical structure of coral reefs in sub-tropical and tropical waters. Due to their often very
bright and varied colors, corals have the appeal of being used as jewelry, including as beads. The
intensively red type of coral is considered a gemstone and when polished, offers an amazing
piece of beauty which can be used in either high-end jewelry or expensive praying beads.

Amethyst

Amethyst is a variety of quartz that is purple colored. It was originally worn by the Greeks and
used in decorating drinking cups with the belief that it prevented drunkenness. When used in
making beads, the beads produced are transparent, dark to light purple, beads that look good
either as jewelry or for praying purposes.
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Jade

There are two types of Jade, jadeite and nephrite. Both are equally alike and considered to be
jade, but jadeite is more rare and therefore more expensive. The color, texture and transparency
of this gemstone determines its value. Beads made from jade are extremely beautiful and also
quite valuable.

9. Wool

Wool can also be used in making beads. Woolen beads are soft, can be any desired size and can
be made in a wide variety of colors.

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10. Meerschaum

Meerschaum is German and means 'the foam of the sea' in English. It is a soft, white and clay-like
material. It has been traditionally used in making smoking pipes, but can as well be used in
making beads.

11. Carnelian

Carnelian is a brownish-red mineral which is considered to be a semi-precious stone. It does look

quite nice when polished and can be used to make pretty beads as well.

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12. Silver & Gold

Gold & silver are the most popular precious metals in the world and have also been used in
making prayer beads. But due to the rarity of these two metals, praying beads made from them
are usually for the wealthy.

Conclusion
Many of the religions have their valid reasons for using beads in prayers. The important thing is
that the prayer beads help the person when praying, by keeping score of how many times a
prayer or mantra has been repeated. Without prayer beads, most devotees may just loose
concentration when they try to keep count mentally. This is their primary function, those beads
that are made from precious stones and metals do not add more value to this function, but they
may add an air of opulence to whoever has them.

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