The following article is provided by TwelveBeads.com by Gwen R..
About 500 years before Christ, people tied knots in strings as a way of keeping track of repetitive devotions. Primitive forms of prayer beads were made of fruit pits, pieces of bone, hardened clay and dried berries. The wealthy used precious stones and jewels.
Twelve Beads ->Twelve Prayers
Twelve Step Prayer Beads
Prayer beads made for people in Twelve Step recovery groups for the practice of Step Eleven. An offshoot of many styles of prayer beads, identifiable by Twelve beads in a ring and a pendent or tassel.
Anglican "rosaries", "Christian prayer beads" or ecumenical prayer beads, Anglican Prayer Beads
a loop of strung beads which people use as a focus for prayer. They were developed in the mid-1980s by an Episcopal priest, the Rev. Lynn Bauman. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bead
1 a PRAYER b pl a series of prayers and meditations made with a rosary 2 a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire (as in a rosary) Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
chap·let – Roman Catholic Church.
A rosary having beads for five decades of Hail Marys. The prayers counted on such a rosary. A string of beads.
Chotki
Prayer beads – a prayer rope of 25, 33, 50, 100 or 103 beads, used to focus one’s thoughts on the "Jesus Prayer".
Decade
Ten beads on the Catholic rosary
Guru, Seva mother or mother bead
A large bead at the end of a mala
Japa mala or mala
an indian rosary with 108 beads used for saying mantra or other forms of sadhana (spiritual exercise) Dictionary.LaborLawTalk.com
Kombolói
Greek fidget toy, used to relieve stress and generally pass time. The word is formed from the Greek words "kombos" which means "knot" and "loi" which describes a group of things. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006
Nenju
Japanesse Rosary with 108 beads
Pa·ter·nos·te
(ptr-nstr, pä-, ptr-) n. often Paternoster The Lord’s Prayer. One of the large beads on a rosary on which the Lord’s Prayer is said. A sequence of words spoken as a prayer or a magic formula. [Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin : Latin pater, father; see pater + Latin noster, our; see nes-2 in Indo-European Roots.]The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Prayer Beads
n pl (1630) : a string of beads by which prayers are counted; specif : ROSARY Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
Rosary
Roman Catholic string of beads used in counting prayers Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
A special thank you to Ann Rebbeck for her contribution on how to pray the rosary.
The Joyful Mysteries –
1. The Assumption
2. The Visitation
3. The Birth of our Lord
4. The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
5. The Finding of our Lord Jesus in the Temple.
(These are suggested for Mon. & Thurs.)
The Sorrowful Mysteries –
1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning with Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross
5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord.
(These are suggested for Tuesdays and Fridays)
The Glorious Mysteries –
1. The Resurrection
2. The Ascension
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
4. Our Lady’s Assumption
5. The Coronation of our Lady as Queen in Heaven.
(Suggested for Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays)
Conclusion 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 Mary.
The Brigittine Rosary (Brigittine Fathers).
The Brigittine Rosary consists of 6 decades of 10 beads each. There are 3 additional beads at the end. Each decade consists of 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys. The Apostle’s Creed is said on the crucifix.
The 63 Hail Marys are in remembrance of the 63 years of Mary’s earthly life according to one traditional account. The 7 Our Fathers, said on the large beads between each decade, are in remembrance of the Seven
Catholic Culture
Rudraksha Beads
Rudraksha beads are a sacred bead for followers of the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism and Zen, and have been so for 5000 years. It is said that God looks favorably upon those who wear a Rudraksha bead, purifying them of their sins. Rudraksha beads are used in both meditation and everyday life. These naturally beautiful seeds can be used alone for a simple bracelet, necklace or prayer bead rosary, or combined with other beads.
"Rudraksha"
This term literally means "the eyes of Lord Shiva" (also known as Rudra). It is written than Shiva meditated for years for the welfare of all living things. When he opened his eyes, tears dropped to the ground, giving origin to Rudraksha trees.
Subha
A Muslim rosary consisting of a yad or pointer symbolizing the "unity of God", with three sections of thirty three beads representing the "ninety-nine beautiful names of God".
Tasbih
a rosary of Persian origin which is traditionally used in prayer, but is now also used by many as a fashion accessory or as something to keep one’s hands busy.Wikipedia
Worry beads
a string of beads for fiddling with, as a means of relieving mental tension and calming the nerves Allwords.com