If you keep losing currency in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Rosary Strings and Necklaces are the game’s built‑in safety net. They convert volatile, drop‑on‑death rosaries into inventory items you can’t lose, for a small fee. Here’s how the system works, where to string beads, and when paying that fee makes sense.

Rosaries vs. strings vs. necklaces

Rosaries are the red beads you pick up from enemies, chests, and caches. Loose rosaries are “volatile”: if you die, you drop them in a cocoon and must recover them; die again before recovery and they’re gone.

Rosary Strings and Rosary Necklaces are inventory items that hold beads safely until you “break” them. Typical capacities and exchanges you’ll see in play:

  • Frayed Rosary String: a small, found item that breaks for 30 rosaries.
  • Rosary String (standard): purchased or dispensed; breaks for 60 rosaries.
  • Rosary Necklace (larger bundle): breaks for 120 rosaries.

When you buy a 60‑bead string from a vendor or stringing machine, you usually pay 80 loose beads to receive the string (a 20‑bead fee). Later, some merchants offer the 120‑bead necklaces for 140 (again, a 20‑bead fee). In practice, the “stringing fee” is 20 beads regardless of bundle size at those stations.

How to use them

  • To convert volatile beads into safety, interact with a vendor or stringing machine and buy strings/necklaces. Your loose rosaries are consumed, and you get an itemized bundle in your inventory.
  • To spend saved beads, open your inventory and hold the prompt on a string/necklace to break it. The rosaries become loose again and can be spent on maps, tools, benches, Bell stations, and doors.
  • You can find Frayed Strings in the world and break them immediately when you need a small top‑up.

Where you can string beads

Early on, you’ll encounter vendors who sell 60‑bead strings for 80. Common spots include the first camp and rest hubs, and dedicated stringing machines placed near area entrances (for example, around Greymoor and regional borders). As you progress, a mid‑game merchant offers the 120‑for‑140 necklaces at a better rate.

Names and exact stations unlock as you push the story, but the pattern is consistent: small strings appear first where you learn the system; larger bundles arrive later when incomes rise.

Capacity limits and an easy way to waste beads

Inventory stacks are capped. For standard strings, the limit is 20. If you attempt to buy another 60‑bead string from a machine while you’re at that cap, the machine will still charge the 80 loose beads but give you nothing—because you can’t hold more.

Tip: Before buying strings at a dispenser, check your current stack count. If you’re full, break a string first (or spend some loose rosaries) so you don’t eat the fee.

When paying the “stringing tax” is worth it

Stringing costs 20 beads per bundle. Whether that’s worth it comes down to risk:

  • On 60‑bead strings (80→60), you’re paying a 25% premium relative to what you hand over. If you think there’s even a moderate chance you’ll lose a runback in a tough area, the fee pays for itself quickly.
  • On 120‑bead necklaces (140→120), the effective premium is lower (~14% relative to what you hand over). Once available, they’re the most cost‑efficient way to secure larger balances.

Why it matters: You only permanently lose rosaries by dying before you reclaim your cocoon. Back‑to‑back deaths happen most in new biomes, platforming gauntlets, or grab‑heavy enemy rooms. Pre‑stringing removes that stress.

Smart habits that cut losses without feeling stingy

  • Keep “walking‑around money.” Always carry enough loose rosaries to pay for a bench, Bell station, or a map you expect to encounter. Bank the rest.
  • Mix bundle sizes. A few 60s plus some 120s give you change control. Breaking a 120 for a 30‑bead toll is fine, but smaller strings minimize how many volatile beads you reintroduce at once.
  • String before danger spikes. If you’re about to enter an unfamiliar or notoriously punishing path, convert excess beads first—even if it means paying the fee twice in a short window.
  • Don’t hoard at the cap. If you’re sitting on the stack limit, start spending (or break one) so new earnings aren’t stuck as volatile cash you’re afraid to lose.

Common scenarios and what to do

  • You’ve got 500+ beads and no immediate purchases. Convert to four 120s when available (or a mix of 60s early). Keep ~100 loose for incidental tolls.
  • You died deep in a hostile area and the runback is bad. If you’ve found a Silkeater item or NPC later in the game, you can use it to restore dropped beads without the runback. Otherwise, string proactively next time before pushing deeper.
  • You’re farming. Banking in 120s makes cycles feel meaningful, and you won’t hemorrhage a session’s gains to a single mistake.

Edge cases and small print

  • Strings are inert until broken. You can’t spend from them directly; you must convert them back to loose rosaries in your inventory.
  • Vendors differ. Some sell only 60‑bead strings, others offer 120‑bead necklaces. Prices and availability depend on progression and region.
  • Other string types exist. Heavier or rarer necklaces show up later and break for larger amounts, but the core loop—pay a modest fee to secure beads—doesn’t change.

A simple rule of thumb

If you’d be upset to lose it, string it. Use small bundles for change, big ones for long hauls, and always leave enough loose beads to sit at a bench or ring a Bell when you find one. The 20‑bead “tax” is the price of peace of mind—and far cheaper than a double‑death.