Sterling, 14k, Topaz and Moostone Masonic Jewel - Ellensburg #39

This is a jewel made for a Past Master of Ellensburg #39 Masonic Lodge

 There was a time when it was common for the presiding officer for a fraternal organization to be presented with a 'jewel' or badge of office after the completion of his term.  I have a collection of these.  This is one I made for a friend and a member of my lodge, Ellensburg #39.

This custom has fallen away or has been replaced by purchasing a pin, likely stamped out of pot metal in china.  I think this is sort of a bummer.

This one was constructed from a vintage sterling spoon which bore the F&AM marks an gold from old and broken masonic lapel pins.  Sort of giving these old objects a new fraternal life.

Pat's Sketch for new jewel - Ellensburg #39

This is sort of funny, but it is a part of the story.

Those are very rough sketches that I made to start figuring out how to make some jewels myself.  Part of the reason I decided to study to become a jeweler was to make things for my friends, and in the back of my mind was the Lodge.  So I finally feel that I have mastered the basics (and I mean very basics) of jewelry making and can attempt this now.  To be successful in this or really anything in life, you need to match your skill-set to the thing you are attempting to do.

So the first few I make will not be as extravagant as some of the ones shown on this blog.  I just don't yet have the skills.  But hopefully my lodge brothers will like them.

So part of my accumulation of all of these is to attempt to work out scale, construction methods, weight, etc.  Or at least that is how I have explained it to my wife.  ;)

I want to make jewels that are personal and specific to this lodge in this temple at this time in history.  I'll write more about this later.

project sketches - my first attempt to make some fraternal jewels

 

 I'm getting ready to get back into the studio and become productive.  I have about 6 or 7 rings to make, and those are going easier now that my skills have improved.  I will use those to fill time between making things like these.


 These are intended to be past master jewels for members of my Lodge in Ellensburg.   I am attempting to make these personalized to the owner, trying to gather images and symbols that relate to him - his specific service to the lodge, attitude and personality.

For example, WB Tedd Hansen organized, spearheaded and did a lot of work renovating the lodge room a few years back.  In the process we removed about 8 layers of wallpaper.  (about half way down that page).

So I am going to try to incorporate a piece of the old wallpaper into the jewel.

Nick Henderson design below...

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Nick has been master a few times.

Greg Maes ( I ran out of room - rough sketch...)

This one will likely be champleve or limoge like this project, but hopefully with more skill and less cartoony.

This one will be more of a drawing in enamel.

I'm trying to depict the roles Marco usually serves with these images.

 These are pretty rough sketches, and the designs might change.  They also might take a long time to finish!