US Army/St. Michael the Archangel Protection rosary

I very much enjoy creating rosaries from natural stone beads and other unusual beads such as Job’s tears (a kind of seed that was often used in rosaries and chaplets reflecting sorrow such as Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and memorial rosaries).

In this custom rosary, unakite stone beads serve as Ave beads with faceted carnelian Paters on a rosary for my son, who is in Army ROTC. The pewter silver-finished center has the US Army Seal with the invocation “St. Michael Protect Me”. The antique crucifix has St. Therese at the top, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph on the arms, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the bottom; the halo is accented with arrowhead shapes.

When I first came across these unakites, my first thought was “camouflage” and my second thought was “red clay” (I live in North Carolina), and then how appropriate for our soldiers. I have also made this rosary with carnelian hearts and with silver filigree hearts for the Paters; again, how appropriate for our military men and women. It would be perfectly appropriate to add additional devotional medals, e.g. a Miraculous Medal or Scapular Medal, a medal of St. Joan of Arc, also the patron saint of soldiers; or the recipient’s baptismal or confirmation patron saint.