How To Make Old-Fashioned Rose Beads

Gather a large quantity of rose petals and mash them into a paste (easily done in a blender). Simmer this paste in a cast iron skillet with just enough water to cover for a couple of hours. "Cooking" the rose pulp in a cast iron skillet is what creates the beads' characteristic matte black color (the rose petals react with the iron in the pan). Older instructions advise pureeing or grinding the cooked rose pulp every day for about two weeks, or until the paste becomes the consistency of clay and can be easily rolled into beads. You can add more rose fragrance by kneading in a small amount of rose oil at this point. Roll the beads with your fingers, making each one twice as large as you want the finished beads to be to allow for shrinkage as the beads dry. Make a hole in the center of each bead with a skewer and allow the beads to dry thoroughly. Turn each bead frequently on the skewer to prevent it from sticking. The beads will be dry and ready for stringing in about two weeks and should last for many, many years. Body warmth causes the beads to release the rose fragrance.

— Shirley Reed