The Past Master's Jewel
When and why was the Past Master's jewel adopted and what does it mean?
No one knows why or when it (P.M.jewel) was adopted as the insignia of a P.M. nor of any Craft ritual that offers any explanation of the proposition, or any philosophical lesson it may conceivably teach.
In the days of operative masonry the rank of Past Master did not exist. Speculative masonry, with its proliferation of new masters, produced an increasing number of masons who had been masters of a lodge. They received recognition and by 1739 the Immediate Past Master had become an important rank. Curiously enough the I.P.M. is not an officer of the lodge. He is not elected. No one appoints him. As if by natural sequence he assumes an office to which his experience, his knowledge and his skill in employing that knowledge entitles him.
The Past Master's Jewel is a carefully carved blazing sun surrounded by the Compass, Square and Quadrant, a symbol for a brother of the craft who has had the honor, and duty, of presiding over his Masonic lodge. The Sun symbolizes the light of God and the journey of the Master through each of the three stations of the lodge. The quadrant, the ability to SET the compass with precision.
From all the research I have done on the Past Masters Jewel, there is not a set design to this jewel. Different lodges have different opinions on how the jewel is made and what the meaning of it is. One thing about this jewel is it holds a lot of the mysteries of Masonry. This is the jewel I am presenting to all the Past Masters of Unity Lodge No. 273 for their service and contributions to our lodge.
