A red egg has long symbolized the Resurrection, and icons of Saint Mary Magdalene customarily show her holding a red egg. She was the first person to bear witness to the Resurrection, as the "Apostle to the Apostles."

According to tradition, Mary Magdalene was a woman of wealth and standing, who provided financial support for Jesus and His other disciples. An old story holds that, because of her social standing, and because she was a Roman citizen, Mary was able to meet Tiberius Caesar, and tell him of Jesus' Resurrection. In one version of the story, Mary presents Caesar with a red egg, as a symbol of life arising from a sealed chamber. In another version of the tale, it is a white egg that she presents to Caesar — who laughs that "a person's no more likely to arise from the grave than that egg in your hand turn red!" — and even as he spoke, the egg in her hand turned red.

The botonée cross of this chaplet is highly textured with raised knobs. It's solid bronze, cast by hand from a 19th century Coptic antique.

The Pater bead is splendid, heavy old red glass, from the Masai in southwest Kenya. This lovely bead has traveled some: its surface is worn, with tiny nicks and scratches. It's set between old vintage caps, and smaller tri-corner caps, both of solid brass.

The Aves are heavy antiqued brass.. Among these are tiny handmade beads of bronze, and beads of matte glass.

The chaplet is strung on premium quality SoftFlex jewelers’ cable, composed of 49 strands of steel encased in nylon, with a test strength of 26 pounds. Each end is double-crimped for security.

Cross: 1.5" including the loop
Pater Bead: about 1"
Aves: 8mm
Length: 7.5"
Weight 1.4 oz.