![The Vespers Rosary in black, gold, front view, full rosary [c:black-gold]](http://bennettandcross.com/cdn/shop/files/the-vespers-rosary-front-full-rosary-repb.jpg?v=1791921077&width=1400)
![The Vespers Rosary draped over a limestone block, gold crucifix and Fatima centerpiece [c:black-gold]](http://bennettandcross.com/cdn/shop/files/the-vespers-rosary-1791806464244.jpg?v=1791925317&width=1400)
![The Vespers Rosary in the palm of a hand, true to size [c:black-gold]](http://bennettandcross.com/cdn/shop/files/the-vespers-rosary-detail-2026.jpg?v=1791914298&width=1400)
![Close-up of the Vespers Rosary crucifix and centerpiece [c:black-gold]](http://bennettandcross.com/cdn/shop/files/the-vespers-rosary-detail-repb.jpg?v=1791914307&width=1400)
![The Vespers Rosary laid on stone, crucifix and Fatima centerpiece [c:black-gold]](http://bennettandcross.com/cdn/shop/files/00_D_D2_v1-1791800280663.jpg?v=1791925323&width=1400)
Crucifix
The Vespers Rosary
When grief comes, something to hold while you pray
A family has just lost one of its own. A rosary to hold together during prayer, when words are no longer enough.
Discover what it means- Your faith, worn close to you every day
- Arrives in our gift box, ready to give
Or 3 interest-free payments of £30.00 with Klarnasubject to eligibility
Order processed within 24 hours on business days
- Free shippingTracked to your door
- 30-day returnsEasy & simple
- 1-year warrantyAgainst defects
Size guide
Where it sits
- 40 cm (16")Choker
- 45 cm (18")Collarbone
- 50 cm (20")Just below the collarbone
- 55 cm (22")Upper chest
- 60 cm (24")Mid-chest
- 70 cm (28")Over clothing
Sizes shown on an average build. An extender adds a few centimetres of freedom.
Measure at home in 2 minutes
You need a strip of paper (or a string or shoelace), a pen and a ruler.
- Take a string or a shoelace and mark on it the length you are considering, for example 50 cm (20").
- Hold the two marks together at the back of your neck, wearing the kind of top you usually wear.
- Look in a mirror: the lowest point of the string is where the chain will sit.
- Too high or too low? Try 5 cm (2") more or less: that is one size up or down.
Already own a chain you like? Lay it flat, clasp closed, and measure it end to end. A broad neck or chest makes every length sit a little higher.
No ruler? A bank card is 8.6 cm (3.4") long: count how many fit along your strip.
Still unsure? Ask us, a real person replies within 24 hours.
Product details
Five decades of black faceted glass beads, each held in a small gold-tone cap, joined by a Marian centrepiece to a gold-tone crucifix. A classic rosary with a quiet contrast of black and gold.
- Material
- Glass beads, gold-tone metal
- Finish
- Gold tone
- Length
- 52 cm in total, 16 cm from centrepiece to cross
- Pendant size
- Crucifix 4.5 x 2.5 cm, centrepiece 2.2 x 2.1 cm
- Symbol
- Crucifix, Virgin Mary
- Size
- Cross 25 x 45 mm, center medal 22 x 21 mm
- Packaging
- Signature gift box and polishing cloth
How to wear it
This is a full five-decade rosary, 52 cm in total with a 16 cm drop to a 25 x 45 mm gold-tone crucifix. Black faceted glass, capped in gold tone, gives it a formal, elegant look, at home in a church pew, a handbag or on a bedside table.
Glass beads and gold-tone metal should stay dry and away from perfume, so it is a rosary to carry and pray with rather than wear in the shower. It suits a confirmation from a godparent, a family in mourning who needs something to hold during prayer, an anniversary or Christmas.
Questions
What links the five decades of The Vespers Rosary to its crucifix?
A 2.2 x 2.1 cm Marian centrepiece. From it, 16 cm of beads lead down to the 4.5 x 2.5 cm gold-tone crucifix.
Will The Vespers Rosary fit in a jacket pocket?
Yes. It is 52 cm long in total but folds to about 36 cm and weighs about 24 g, so it slips into a pocket or a bag.
Are the black beads stone?
No. They are faceted black glass, each set in a small gold-tone cap.
Why choose the black and gold Vespers Rosary for a family in mourning?
Its faceted black glass and gold-tone caps look formal and sober, fitting for a time of grief. It gives the family something to hold while they pray for the one they lost.
Can I wear it around my neck?
You can, with respect for what it is, but it is designed first for praying in the hand. Keep it dry to protect the gold tone.
When is a good time to have The Vespers Rosary blessed?
Whenever suits you: before you give it, or after Mass once it has been received. It arrives unblessed, a priest or deacon can bless it, and the blessing is a custom, not a requirement.
Traditional Catholic rosary with a crucifix and Marian centrepiece
The Vespers Rosary has five decades of faceted black glass beads joined by a Marian centrepiece to a gold-tone crucifix, 52 cm. The Saint Benedict Rosary has marbled brown beads with a Saint Benedict centrepiece and crucifix. See Rosary Jewelry.
How do you pray the rosary, and what do the beads mean?
The rosary opens on the crucifix with the Apostles' Creed, then an Our Father and three Hail Marys. Each of the five decades is one Our Father on the large bead, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be, while meditating on a mystery of the life of Christ. A clear rosary helps you keep count: the Vespers Rosary, black glass beads with gold-tone caps, or the Rosary of Faith (wood).
The prayer
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina), traditionally prayed at the end of the rosary
Shipping & returns
Free standard shipping on every order. Your order is processed within 24 hours on business days, then shipped with tracking.
Every order arrives in our signature gift box, with a microfiber cloth to keep your piece shining.
- OrderToday
- ProcessedWithin 24 hours
- DeliveredTo your door, tracked
Returns. You have 30 days after delivery to return your piece, unworn and in its original packaging.
1-year warranty & care
Covered for 1 year against manufacturing defects: a clasp that fails, a stone that falls out without impact, a structural defect. Send your order number and 3 to 4 photos and we ship a replacement once your claim is approved, with no return needed. Full warranty
- Handling: Hold the beads gently and avoid pulling on the cord.
- Water: Keep the beads dry; water can dull wood, stone and glass beads.
- Storage: Store it flat in its signature gift box.
- Cleaning: Wipe it with the microfiber cloth included.
Its meaning
The rosary, prayer of the mysteries
The rosary is prayed in five decades, each made of an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be, while meditating on a mystery from the lives of Christ and Mary. The prayer begins at the crucifix and passes through the centerpiece, which here shows Mary. It is traditionally closed with the Hail, Holy Queen. Many Catholics keep a rosary in a pocket or by the bed, and families often hold one together in times of mourning. This rosary is strung with faceted black glass beads in gold-tone caps, with a gold-tone Marian centerpiece...
Giving it as a gift
For a confirmation, from a godparent, or to a family in mourning as something to hold during prayer. It also suits an anniversary or Christmas, for anyone who prays the rosary and likes black and gold.
