There are many beautiful rosaries being sold - some quite inexpensively - but most will not last for more than a few months without breaking.

Strung rosaries snap easily and you can lose the beads. Chain rosaries break; although you probably won't lose more than a bead or two, the remains tend to end up in the back of a drawer or jewelry box while you search for adequate replacements.

If you're not in the habit of praying the rosary daily or would like one for display purposes only, a manufactured rosary will probably serve just fine.

If, on the other hand, you pray the rosary daily and carry it in your pocket or purse, you should seriously consider a well-made, wire-wrapped rosary. With normal daily wear and prayer, this type of rosary will never break.

That's because each bead is individually wrapped and permanently joined to the one next to it. There are no open loops. As long as the wire is of an appropriate gauge (preferrably 18 ga or larger), you can snag it on anything and it won't come apart.

A properly wrapped rosary will have been laid flat before connecting the final two beads so as to prevent kinking. It may kink up if carried in your pocket, but if it's been properly connected, it can always be straightened by hand without any damage to the construction. The loops themselves will be consistent in shape and size and the ends of each loop will also have been tucked under and filed, so that you are able to run your hand up and down the length of the rosary without being stung by sharp edges.

The entire process of hand wrapping a rosary done properly takes five to six hours. The labor involved is what makes it more costly than a manufactured rosary - but this is most certainly a labor of love.

If you are looking for a beautiful, high quality rosary to last a lifetime, you will do well to invest in a hand-wrapped rosary - a treasure for today and an heirloom for the future.