Originally posted by Soledad
As a former Catholic, yes it is considered blasphemous to wear a rosary as a necklace. So if you are concerned about offending Catholics you should know that wearing it as jewelry is considered demeaning to its true purpose.
I think Soledad has made the real distinction here. The cross, crucifix, pentacle, star of David, etc are often used as jewelry. The rosary is NOT jewelry - it is a special object used for prayer. I suspected that it would never be used as jewelry - even though it does appear to be something like a necklace with the circular design and beads.