Richard Gere Has Been Wearing the Same Beaded Bracelet for Years: Here's What It Means

Mar. 15, 2025

Richard Gere.Photo:Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Richard Geresticks to the classics when it comes to his fashion.

The 75-year-old actor also sticks to the same accessory day in and day out as well: an understated Tibetan prayer bead bracelet.

Gere, a practicing Buddhist, told the magazineLion’s Roarin 1999 that his first encounter with Buddhism was back when he was in school, but his “first encounter with Buddhist dharma” was in his 20s. He has spent his life since then as a practicing Buddhist, which is why his prayer beads — or mala bracelet — can almost always be found on his wrist.

Richard Gere.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Mala bracelets are typically used for counting mantras or prayers and used as reminders throughout the day, like any other religious symbol. The beads can be made of a variety of materials, including wood, seeds, gems or metal, and each material has its own purpose. Sandalwood is the most traditional material for the bracelet to be made out of.

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Richard Gere and wife Alejandra Silva.Andreas Rentz/Getty

Andreas Rentz/Getty

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“My wife is Spanish and she gave me about seven years here, so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid with her family," Gere said. “Our kids are bilingual so they’re going to flourish there.

Gere and Silva first met in 2014 at a hotel in Positano, Italy, beforemarrying in May 2018. They went on to welcome two sons:Alexander, 5, andJames, 4.

Silva, 41, also has an 11-year-old son namedAlbert, with her ex-husband Govind Friedland, while Gere welcomed his only child with second wifeCarey Lowell, sonHomer, in 2000.

source: people.com