Masonic Rings

By Bro. E.T.

As presented at January Regular meeting in 2012

This presentation is based on my personal research into the subject from the time when I first considered buying a ring. A friend of mine, who is not a Mason, but whose grandfather was a 33° Scottish Rite and left his ring to his grandson, explained to me once, that he wears it when he drives, as a way to get out of speeding tickets. I was hoping to find a slightly deeper meaning and purpose than that.

Rings often used as symbols of power and dignity worn by kings, Popes and the like. The VOSL mentions a number of rings. It is said that the “Pharaoh has bestowed a ring upon Joseph as mark or token of the power he had conferred upon him, for which reason the people bowed the knee to him.” (Genesis 41) There is also the magic ring of King Solomon. Some religious scholars believe that it was that ring that gave the King his mystical powers and wisdom. If you look really close at the seal, which supposedly adorned the ring, you might even see the interconnected square and compasses.

According to Mackey’s Encyclopaedia, any ring is considered a symbol of the covenant, with its circle symbolising the perpetuity of the contract. However, there are no references to any ring in the three degrees of our craft. In the Order of the Temple there is a Ring of Profession. Scottish Rite masons of the 14° and 33° have their particular rings that carry certain meanings and rules, which, interestingly enough, vary quite a bit between Northern and Southern Jurisdictions of the Rite. Not being privy to the secrets of these orders, I will not get in to their explanations here.

In the Blue Lodge we don’t explicitly enter into a covenant, neither can we claim any particular powers. For many of us the ring is the symbol of achievement, affinity and, perhaps, tradition. Personally, ever since I submitted my application for initiation, I wanted to get myself a ring, but somehow I did not feel worthy until I achieved the third degree.

Affinity is a funny concept, especially when it comes to masonry. Here in North America we are experiencing a fairly neutral, if not slightly excited, opinion among the general public. But the remainder of the world is much less receptive to our organization, and wearing identification of any kind by a mason is sometimes more than frowned upon. This phenomenon gave rise to a very interesting concept of a double ring that is particularly popular in the UK. Despite our order having originated in England, and UK being a fairly democratic country, being a mason there is not as easy as it is in Canada or the US. For example, many public service positions require declaration of their membership. Needless to say, a lot of masons chose to stay in the shadows. For that reason, the double ring has two tops: one Masonic and another purely ornamental and the two can be switched with fair ease.

The ring I ended up buying was made, according to the estate seller on eBay, in 1910. By the looks of it, it had been owned by at least one other brother, of whom unfortunately, I know nothing. The only identifying marking on the ring is the abbreviation “KGC”, which I could only decipher either as “Knights of the Golden Circle”, “Kinross Gold Company” (the ring is too old for that one), or something along those lines. Nevertheless, it gives me great pleasure to have that much symbolism on my finger, reinforcing that link we have with brethren of the past.

Today most craft rings in North America are fairly standard with Square and Compasses along with a letter G on the flat top or a stone with perhaps some working tools on the sides. Most international rings, however, do not display a “G”, or any other letter for that matter regardless of their language. It appears that the letter made its way into Masonic symbology around early 20^th century in North American specifically through rings. As one jeweller felt that having plain square and compasses combination would leave too much empty space on an otherwise elaborately designed ring. And then the fashion spread all the way to the official seals and logos. Thus, a ring that has no mention in the craft made a pretty significant contribution onto the craft itself.

Another example of connection between the rings and the craft, was pointed out to me by our Bro. MacDonald. If you noticed, our IPM’s email letterhead carries a Latin saying: “Virtus Junxit, Mors Non Separabit”, which translated as “Whom virtue unites, death will not separate”. The same saying is found on previously mentioned 14° Scottish Rite rings.

Provided that there is no explicit mention of rings anywhere in our ritual, there is lot of confusion regarding a proper way to wear them. I came across an interesting tradition, which alludes that since all compasses in lodge point from east to west, or from master to the initiate, when a mason puts his ring on, the points of the compasses on it should be pointing towards his breasts. Some allusion to this is obvious in the third degree as well. Unless, of course, he is a sitting or a past master, in which case, the points are pointing away from him. To me it makes perfect sense.

I do encourage all brethren to consider acquiring a ring for the above mentioned reasons: achievement, affinity and tradition. When choosing a ring, personally, I believe only a noble metal is worth being forged into a shape of a craft ring. And buying a used one will also continue the brotherly connection with brethren who passed before us.

When I made a decision to buy the ring I looked for it everywhere. The most remarkable was my visit to the pawnbrokers’ row on Church and Queen Streets in Toronto. While some pawnshops had very limited selection of rings, many acknowledged an unmatched demand for them. One broker actually maintained an inventory of brand new rings just to keep up with the demand.

To close let me leave you with this thought… when a mason dies, he leaves behind an apron, a dues card, some pins and a ring. The ring usually ends up at the estate sale where it is quickly snatch for its precious metal content, rather than its meaning. Some of you know that I am a bit of a “gold bug”. I believe that gold is not only an important investment, but its price will increase by leaps and bounds in the foreseeable future. This places all those heirlooms in that more danger. It falls to us to make sure that these connections with fallen brethren are maintained and our heritage is preserved.