Fraternal Jewel Collection: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Pat's Fraternal Jewel Collection

My Collection of Fraternal Jewels:

I started collecting fraternal jewels a while back. They embody everything that interests me. They are wonderful, extremely personal, historical objects. They show all levels of craft, manufacturing methods, and intrinsic value. They show the relative economic means of the various fraternities over time - and by extension something of the values placed on the organization by its members.

And they are shiny.

These are really listed in no particular order. I am attempting to find out the stories behind these. Sometimes these bear an officer's name, other times they are just a badge of office and are silent as to who might have warn them, where and when. Some of these were obviously the prized possessions of a group or an individual, and I intend to show them respect.

If you stumble across my little blog and find a particular piece that would more appropriately 'belong' to someone else due to family or organizational ties, please contact me. These are not for sale, but I'd rather these get back to where they belong, and I place that above the intrinsic value.

In a weird way I do not really own these - they sort of own me. There are many that I could not bring myself to melt or sell. You can not un-stir the coffee so to speak, once they are gone, they are gone forever. And that would make me very sad.

I can safely say that the people that owned these are long gone, but these relics still exist.

Most of these are Masonic, but I have come across some very interesting pieces from other organizations. This whole adventure has been fun.

Royal Arch - Membership Card - Minnesota - 1925 14k

This is the most unusual thing I have come across. It seems to be a membership card. Maybe so that if Robert S. Tucker was traveling he could show his gold card as proof of membership. Once you have a solid gold card declaring that you are a life member, slips of paper aren't really necessary.

It is beautifully hand engraved, some of the best engraving I have ever seen.

It declares that it was:

"To certify that Comp Robert S Tucker was High Priest of Minnesota Chapter No. Royal Arch Masons From Sept 2, 1924 to Sept 1 1925 and is a Life Member thereof St. Paul Minn Sept 15 1925."

And is signed

Archibald J. Williams Secretary Luli B. Mitchell High Priest

On the website of the York Rite of Minn the names of these three are listed as Past High Priests in these years:

1925 Luli B Mitchell
1924 Robert S Lucker
1923 Archibald J Williams

It still looks like a Tucker in the engraving to me..........

It measures 73mm x 53mm x .5mm and weighs 25 grams. This gives it a density of 12.93 grams/cubic centimeter. This is sort of rough due to the missing metal where it was engraved and the rounded corners. But 12.9 is in the range of standard density for 14k alloys.

On my electronic tester it scores in the range of 18k.

One of the strangest aspects, to me, is that the back is completely devoid of adornment. It must have taken a considerable amount of time and effort to get the front designed and engraved - without a mistake that I can see. And yet, the back is just the back. No maker's mark, nothing.

This jewel is 2" by 2.8" and weighs 25 grams. It is 14k gold.

relative amount I paid for this - low

As of 3/3/14 the gold scrap value works out to about $647

However, none of these are for sale.

Past Master 1929 N. Dakota

This is the classic shape and design of a Past Master Jewel. This one is from North Dakota in 1929. It belonged to a Br. S.E. Aurthur. This one is a little strange in that it doesn't indicate which lodge it came from.

A little bit of explanation... It used to be the custom of a Masonic (or other) lodge to give the presiding officer a 'jewel' for his service to the lodge. As times have changed, this has become somewhat rare now a days. Many of these jewels were from catalogs and were custom engraved by the local jeweler.

The catalogs I mentioned above carried items that were made by a 'manufacturing jeweler'. This jewel is in a case - very nice and leather - that indicates it came from a manufacturing jeweler.

This jewel is 2.75" by 1.5" and weighs 14 grams. It is 14k gold.

relative amount I paid for this - low

As of 2/9/14 the gold scrap value works out to about $330

However, none of these are for sale.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Ellensburg #39 Past Master 1909

This is hands-down my favorite. This jewel was presented by Ellensburg #39 (my lodge) to Worshipful Master J.A. Patchett in 1909 in recognition of his service to the lodge. WM Patchett was Master of the Lodge exactly 100 years before I was. We sat in the same chair and possibly held the same gavel.

We might have drank the same coffee. Or it seems that way, lodge coffee is never very good.

This jewel is all hand made and has a very complicated construction with several 'blind rivets' engraving and custom enameling. It is adorned with two genuine mine-cut sapphires and a ruby cut into a face.

This doesn't seem to be a production piece to me as I have not seen one of the same design in the old catalogs.

This is a picture of J.A. Patchett, likely in the 1940s. In this picture he is standing less than a block from the Ellensburg Masonic Temple.

I've looked through the old minute books from 1907 to 1909 (he was master for three years - poor guy) and can not find specific references to the lodge commissioning a jewel, presenting it, or paying for it.

I did find that at the same meeting that his successor was installed as Master that there was a bill for $123.80 presented to the treasurer and paid. That seems very odd as they discuss the water bill of $3 but didn't list what this bill was for. Using an inflation calculator I figure that that bill was roughly $3,000. I think that might be what it would cost to make this jewel today. I would take a master jeweler at least a week to make it.

I am proud of this jewel for a number of reasons. It is very well crafted, has a significant personal connect to the history of Ellensburg and Pat as a Mason, but there is one more thing. This was for sale on line at one of those 'we buy gold and coins' places in Louisiana. That means that it was at serious risk of getting melted. So I feel that I helped save something wonderful.

This jewel is 4" by 2" and weighs 32 grams. It is 10k gold.

relative amount I paid for this - very high

As of 2/9/14 the gold scrap value works out to about $544

However, none of these are for sale.

Past Master - Blue Lodge - Sterling - 1952 Pennsylvania

This is a Blue Lodge Past Master Jewel from Jordan Lode 673 in Allen Town Pennsylvania. It was presented to William F. Dillard in 1952.

This is a production jewel, but has some outrageous detailing. Enameled eye, for one...

There are lot of working tools and symbols of the craft superimposed over an engraved background.

Engraved....

There are enameled pieces somewhat scattered, but nicely balanced. The blue in the center hanging down is a visual representation of the Pythagorean theorem. (Freemasons call this the 47th problem of Euclid, due to the fact that it is the 47th proposition in his book of elements.) It is how you make a right angle. That was an important skill for an operative mason and might have been a trade secret.

It came in a nice case and was manufactured by the William Lehmberg & Sons company of Philadelphia. That makes sense for an Allentown lodge.

I think it is sterling, but it is not marked. It does show some strange tarnish patterns, but that might be caused by storing it in the case for 60 some years. The air and moisture might have not been evenly distributed across the metal.

But then again the background layer has no tarnish.... sort of a mystery, maybe two different metals?

This jewel is 7" by 4" and weighs 50 grams. It is sterling (?).

relative amount I paid for this - low

As of 3/3/14 the silver scrap value works out to about $40

However, none of these are for sale.

Knights of Birminham - Past PS - 1893 (AWESOME)

This is the most beautiful object I own.

It is extravagant and meticulously crafted.

It is only 2" high, and shows this incredible amount of detail:

It was presented to P.S.C. Joseph Taylor by the Knights of Birmingham Lodge #16 in 1893 - for his valuable services.

This is all hand made custom work. I would guess something like 10,000 tool strokes to get each brick stippled and each piece cut. And remember that this was crafted in 1893. There weren't really any power tools......

Check out the Jack Knife and Owl. The owl of course represents wisdom, I have no idea about the knife.

This group was loosely masonic and the Keystone and the Arch fit with the symbolism of the Holy Royal Arch Degree. Stoop Low.

As in, "stoop low, for he that humblest himself will be exalted but he that exalteth himself shall be abased". This is from Luke 14 and Mathew 23 and echos Proverbs.