How many beads are in the Roman Catholic Rosary?
There are various forms of rosary, always based on multiples of ten, plus the additional separator beads and/ invitatory beads or knots and/or a cross or crucifix. Rosaries typically are based on five decades plus separator beads, for a total of 59; however, you may find some with as many as ten or even fifteen decades. The basic layout, however, is the same — groups of ten with separator beads and cross.