I was just gifted a lovely pair of earrings made from rose petals and I thought the rose enthusiasts around here might enjoy them.

Here's the info that came with the earrings; mine were hand made by a local Herb Society of America chapter with rose petals collected from their own gardens and they smell lovely! I am enjoying a lovely rose scent wafting around me today that's making it feel quite like spring!

"The tradition of making herbal beads stretches back to ancient times and beyond, especially along the old spice and trade routes between the Mediterranean and Asia. Beads were used for a variety of purposes. Some were used for adornment and were often regarded as aphrodisiac, with a magic component to them. Some were used in prayer and meditation. Indeed, the word 'bead' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'bede', meaning prayer, and 'rosary' comes from 'rosarium', or rose garden, an ideal place for meditation and prayer that was often a part of medieval churches. The rose, with its singular form and fragrance, has long been a symbol for love, mystery, and beauty. It comes as no surprise that it came to be used to make beads for both religious and secular purposes."

Wouldn't it be lovely to make jewelry to wear from the petals in your own garden?