Iona Jade Catholic Rosary with Saint Columba Medal and Saint Martin’s Cross

Some rosaries look newly made. This one was designed to feel as though it has already travelled: carried across water, warmed by the hand and kept close through years of prayer.
 
Handmade in Scotland, this full five-decade Catholic rosary belongs to our Iona Collection—a series inspired by the island of Iona, Saint Columba and the carved Christian heritage of Scotland’s western shore.
 
Iona is a small island, but its story crossed seas. In the sixth century, Columba travelled from Ireland and established a monastic community there. From that exposed Atlantic edge, a life built around prayer, learning, hospitality and work reached out through Scotland and far beyond it.
 
For me, as an Irish maker living in Scotland, Iona belongs to a wider Atlantic Christian story: Irish and Scottish, island and mainland, monastic and migrant. It is a story of faith carried across water and then carried onward by hand.
 
This rosary was made as one way of carrying that story.
 
THE SAINT COLUMBA MEDAL
At the centre is our own richly detailed Saint Columba of Iona medal.
 
Its front gathers together the imagery associated with Columba: the saint with his book and staff, the dove, the sea-crossing ship and the monastic landscape of Iona. Celtic pattern surrounds the scene, with a small bee worked quietly into the lower border as a link back to Paisley Honey.
 
The reverse is centred upon a relief map of Scotland, placing Iona within the land whose Christian story it helped to shape.
 
THE SAINT MARTIN’S CROSS
Below the medal hangs our interpretation of Saint Martin’s Cross, based upon our own sketches of the ancient monument on Iona.
 
Saint Martin’s Cross is one of Scotland’s most recognisable early Christian crosses. Standing close to Iona Abbey, it has endured centuries of Atlantic weather, pilgrimage, worship and change.
 
The cross is richly worked on both sides. One face has a more open Celtic-cross character, while the other has the long carved-panel appearance of an ancient stone monument. It is deliberately substantial: something to hold, turn and pray with rather than merely look at.
 
JADE AND ANTIQUED BRASS
The rosary is made with 8mm jade beads in naturally varied shades of moss, lichen, olive and deep sea green. No two stones are identical, and those individual markings form part of the character of each finished rosary.
 
The antiqued-brass metalwork gives the piece its weathered, ancient appearance. It is newly handmade rather than antique, but it was designed to feel at home among worn stone, salt air and objects shaped by years of handling.
 
Its weight and full 70cm circumference give it a reassuring, substantial presence in the hands during prayer.
 
DETAILS
• Traditional five-decade Catholic rosary  
• Natural 8mm jade beads  
• Antiqued-brass metalwork  
• Saint Columba of Iona centre medal  
• Saint Martin’s Cross based on our own sketches  
• Approximately 70cm circumference  
• Approximately 90g in weight  
• Cross approximately 6 × 1.8cm  
• Handmade in Paisley, Scotland  
• Part of the Paisley Honey Iona Collection  
 
WEARING AND SIZE
At approximately 70cm in circumference, this rosary will pass over many adult heads, although individual fit will vary. If wearing it matters to you, please compare a 70cm loop with a rosary or cord you already own before ordering.
 
It is made first and foremost as a devotional companion for prayer.
 
MATCHING BRACELET
A matching jade and antiqued-brass bracelet is available through the purchasing options.
Our standard bracelet is made for an approximately 16cm wrist. We are also happy to make it to your wrist size at no additional cost—simply leave the required wrist circumference when ordering.
 
If no wrist measurement is supplied, the bracelet will be made in our standard size.
 
OPTIONAL ENGRAVING
Personalised engraving of up to 20 characters is available when the paid engraving option is selected.
Please enter the wording exactly as you would like it engraved and check all spelling, capitalisation and dates carefully.
 
Entering text in the personalisation box without selecting the paid engraving option does not add engraving to the order.
 
Personalised items are made specifically for you and cannot normally be returned for a change of mind.
 
CARE
Keep the rosary dry and avoid contact with perfume, creams, household chemicals and salt water. When it is not being used, store it somewhere clean and dry.
The darkened antiqued finish is intentional and may continue to develop naturally with handling. Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth rather than using metal polish.
 
SAFETY
This is a devotional item and not a toy. It contains small parts and is not suitable for babies or young children.
 
Do not wear it while sleeping, bathing or exercising, or during activities where it could become caught. Check the links periodically and discontinue use if any component becomes damaged or loose.