Unidentified Chaplets
Antique Mother of Pearl and sterling silver chaplet, complete but for the missing medallion. The beads are very large for Mother of Pearl - the smallest is approx 6mm, the largest 8.5mm. No ordinary oyster this! There are 5 sets of 5 small beads with 4 spacer beads, and a drop of 3 small beads and 2 spacer beads. The 5 largest beads are in the drop.
The unusual flat shape of the first bead suggests a credo bead. If so, then the drop would be 1 spacer bead, 3 small beads and a credo.
This may be a Five Wounds chaplet; Without the medallion or any spacer medals its very hard to tell. The center medal is a worn but still lovely profile of Mary, but not as the Sorrowful Mother, which suggests that this isn't a Five Wounds chaplet.
Jet and brass chaplet, probably Italian. 5 sets of 5 small beads with 4 spacers beads, and a drop of 3 small beads with 1 spacer. Similar configuration to the Mother of Pearl chaplet above. The medallion shows the Infant Jesus on one side with the words "GESU BAMBINO BENEDICTECI", and a monstrance and host on the other side, with the words "CORPUS DOMINI MILANO".
This is the same configuration as a Five Wounds chaplet, but the medallion is completely different, leading me to believe it's a different devotion.
The large Medallion shows Mary standing, holding a rosary as if offering it to us. The inscription reads "LA CRIMUS TUIS, MATER DOLOROSA, INFERORUM DOMINATIONEM EVERTE." The other side shows Jesus standing, hands crossed at the wrist in a relaxed manner, with the inscription "MANSETUDINE TUA, DOMINE JESU CHRISTE, CATENA ILLIGATE, MUNDUM AB INSTANTIBUS ERRORIBUS LIBERA."
Milk glass beads with an aluminum medallion, other metals unknown. 7 sets of 7 beads, with 6 spacer beads. The drop is 1 spacer bead and 3 small beads. This is the proper configuration for a Seven Sorrows rosary, and that may be what we have here. Certainly it could be used that way. But there are no spacer medals, even though this chaplet is early to mid 20th century, which means it was made when spacer medals had become standard for Seven Sorrows rosaries. The center medal is a scapular medal, never seen on Seven Sorrows rosaries.