Saint Francis of Assisi referred to himself as "the jester of God" —God's minstrel, jokester, singer, tumbler, poet.  "Who else but His jongleurs are the Lord's servants who lift up the hearts of men and move them to spiritual joy?"

The wonderful cross of this chaplet is a little crazy-looking, decorated on both sides with randomly taped circles — a flurry of juggling balls in midair?  The cross is solid bronze, hand-cast from a vintage Ethiopian original.

The lively, colorful Pater bead is Italian: vintage Murano millefiori glass. Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano have been making this type of bead for at least 500 years. Alongside the Pater are discs of onyx.

The Aves are lava, with pits and pocks that formed as the stone cooled. Among the Aves are rings of African brass and matte glass.

Cross: 1.5”
Pater: about 14mm
Aves: about 10mm
Length: 5.5”