In our grandmothers' time, women were very fond of beautiful black beads made from fresh rose petals. They took a long time to make—two weeks or more—and involved a great deal of work. In China's short story, "The Rosemary Caper," (An Unthymely Death and Other Garden Mysteries) you can read about an easier way to make this old-fashioned herbal treasure, using a cast-iron pot or large skillet. The iron in the pot helps to blacken the beads. A hint from China: if you can find a few rusty nails, add those.
Rose Beads
In a cast-iron cooking container, place a quart of fresh, finely-minced red rose petals, a cup of water, a few drops of rose oil to enhance the scent, and rusty nails, if you have any. Simmer for one hour. Remove from heat, stir well with a wooden spoon, and let it stand overnight. The next day, repeat the simmering process, adding water if necessary, until the doughy mixture has turned very dark. Let it stand until it dries to a clay-like consistency that can be easily molded. Wet your hands and roll into beads a little larger than a marble. (They will shrink about 50 percent as they dry.) Place on paper towels. When the beads are partly dry, thread a large needle with dental floss, string the beads, and hang them to dry, turning regularly so that they don't stick to the floss. In a week, your rose beads are ready for their final stringing. Alternating them with smaller, pretty beads used as spacers. Add a clasp and store in an air-tight container to preserve the scent. As you wear them against your skin, they will warm and give out a sweet fragrance.
Read more about old ways to use roses:
Rose Recipes from Olden Times, by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde
A Bag to Smell Unto, or to Cause One to Sleep
Take drie Rose leaves, keep them close in a glass which will keep them sweet, then take powder of Mints, powder of cloves in a grosse powder. Put the same to the Rose leaves, then put all these together in a bag, and take that to bed with you, and it will cause you to sleepe, and it is good to smell unto at other times.
—Ram's Little Dodoen, 1606
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