I have two weeks left before I will go through my Third-Degree ceremony and become a Master Mason. I thought that I would commemorate that with a little Bling-Bling.
I’ve been taking a good look at the Brethren in my Lodge the last little while to see what sort of Bling-Bling I could spot.
Most had Masonic Rings, although nobody had the exact same ring. I also noticed some Masonic cuff-links, a tie clip, a tie pin and even a few Masonic ties.
I was told that it wasn’t appropriate to wear a Masonic ring until I was a Master Mason. From what I have read, this rule changes from district to district. In fact, I found on the Internet “Entered Apprentice Rings” and “Fellowcraft Rings”.
I am proud to be a Freemason and I am looking forward to showing my pride, but I want to be subtle. I don’t want to get a 6 inch “square and compass” tattoo across my forehead, but I don’t want to get something that is so small and obscure that it would never be noticed. I haven’t really decided at what level of noticability that I want to have. I think I am leaning toward the “a fellow Mason would spot it, but not many others” level.
In my personal life, a few friends know that I am a Mason, but I have not shared this with any co-workers. I am a fairly private person, and generally don’t mix my personal and professional life together. I’m not saying that I’m not a friendly person, but I don’t feed the gossip with anything that I wouldn’t want every single person to know.
You might think that I am a very outgoing person because of this particular blog, but in reality I am some-what anonymous on the Internet. I realize that people can find out my location and the particular Lodge that I belong to by even reading through my posts, but I don’t put my actual name on anything that I do on the Internet. (I’m a high school teacher, and I know that many students Google their teachers for a variety of reasons.)
To make a long story short, it was suggested to me that I go to a particular jewelry store where many Brothers had bought their own Masonic rings. The first salesperson that I spoke to didn’t know too much about Masonic rings and could only show me where their small section of rings were. None of them appealed to me.
As I waited for the Owner/Goldsmith to come out from the back to help me, I noticed that there was a poster at the till for the Shriner’s Circus. Beside the till was a sign that explained why the store did not offer any discounts. It basically stated that they refused to artificially inflate prices and then create a false “sale price”. Their prices were honest and would be competitive with any other’s sale prices. It also stated that you would never be required to pay more than a quote for custom work, and that if the final product was lighter that quoted, you would pay less. These seemed like very Masonic principles.
When the Goldsmith came out, he was wearing a bright Shriner’s tie and wore a huge Masonic ring. He lived his Masonic principles “out-loud” in business and in his personal life.
I spent quite a while choosing a ring. I was shown quite a few pictures of rings that could be ordered, but none of them seemed to be what I was looking for. We ended up creating a custom ring that he would make for me. I was shown quite a few wax castings of rings and possible gold “square and compasses” that could be attached, but I still wanted something a little more subtle.
A basic signet ring with the Masonic symbol attached on top was a bit too much, yet a basic signet right with only an engraving would wear too quickly and was not enough. So just like Goldilocks, we created one that was “just right.” He would create a custom ring that would have a sunken symbol on the face of a signet ring.
I asked how long it would take for the ring to be made and he told me that it would take at least three weeks. He then asked me when “the big day” was and I told him that it was in two weeks. He replied that becoming a Master Mason is a very big day and that my ring would be ready it time! I can’t wait!
This is my 22nd post on Freemasonry and my experiences as a Freemason. Here is the Table of Contents of my Masonic Journey.
Horseshoes and Handgrenades 