This Hestia prayer bead necklace consists of two groups of twelve beads, to represent the Greek dodecatheon of twelve gods; there are many more than twelve Greek gods, but most cities had their own group of twelve. Joining the string is a pendant, a symbol representing the goddess: the flame. As guardian of the hearthfire, Hestia's essence is well represented by the flame itself.
It is made with 10mm red agate gemstone beads, separated by gold-toned metal spacer beads, and glass seed beads to provide a comfortable transition from one bead to the next and to make the piece supple and easy to handle. The string itself is approximately 22" (55.9cm) long and closes with a toggle clasp. The necklace is designed to be worn, although it may also be used in prayer and meditation, to decorate an altar or shrine, and/or to adorn a statue if desired.
This piece is intended as a wearable set of usable prayer beads, and can therefore function as a portable shrine as well as devotional jewelry, or it may simply be worn as a subtle reminder of the goddess' presence.
The necklace comes with a prayer to Hestia, written specifically to be used with this prayer necklace design (you can, of course, use the beads with any prayers, or for any god or gods, that you choose or that resonate with you) and with a cotton muslin bag for storage.
