~ The Jewels of a Lodge ~

By Gerald (Jerry) L. Carver
Senior Grand Warden
October 2003

During our first lecture in Masonry, we are taught that a Lodge has three immovable jewels, which are the Square, Level, and Plumb and three movable jewels, which are the Rough Ashlar, the Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle-Board. When Brethren are gathered for a Lodge meeting or especially when they attend a District Instructional meeting or a Worshipful Masters workshop, a topic that often arises for discussion is the Lodge jewels, especially those “Immovable Jewels” also referred to as the jewels, insignias, or badges of the Master and Wardens of the Lodge. The discussion often centers on whether another brother should wear the Master or Warden’s jewels when filling in during the work of the Lodge. Another topic is why are the jewels of the subordinate Lodge officers silver while the Grand Lodge officer jewels are gold. In response to those questions, I will present some historical and other information related particularly to the Lodge’s officer jewels in this Masonic Education Corner article.

According to Henry Sadler, a renowned English Masonic scholar who lived from 1840-1911 and served as Historian, Tiler, and Librarian of the Grand Lodge of England, Lodge officers did not wear jewels in the early days of Speculative Masonry. He indicated that the practice of Lodge officers wearing jewels began with a resolution by the Premier Grand Lodge of England in the 1700’s,

Historically, in the United States Grand Jurisdictions, the jewels of the officers of a Lodge are silver and are suspended from a silver chain collar of Masonic symbols with or without a blue lining, or from blue collars or blue cords. In most instances the Lodges have silver chain collars of Masonic symbols with a blue cloth lining beneath. The Grand Lodge Officers jewels are gold with purple collars or gold chain collars of Masonic symbols with purple linings. In the first South Carolina Ahiman Rezon published in 1807, Right Worshipful and Dr. Frederick Dalcho wrote on page 141 that the decorations of the subordinate Lodges were to be silver and light blue. From that time forward, the Grand Lodge and Grand Masters of South Carolina have maintained the position that subordinate lodge jewels are to be silver. In Article 70 of the Constitution of the Grand Lodge, gold is reserved for the jewels of the Grand Lodge officers.

An area of much discussion is whether a brother filling in for the Master or a Warden in the work of the Lodge should wear the jewel of the station in which he is filling in. Some brethren had said that whoever sits in the Master or Wardens station should wear the jewel of that station and they base their opinion upon their interpretation of the statement on page 96 of the 1999 Ahiman Rezon relative to the Square, Level, and Plumb which reads: “They are called immovable jewels, because they are always to be found in the East, West, and South parts of the Lodge, being worn by the officers in those respective stations.” At the bottom of the same page a footnote informs us that in English Lodges, the Square, Level, and Plumb are the movable jewels while the Ashlars and the Trestleboard are the immovable jewels.

In the past, most Grand Masters and presently, our current Grand Master have given the interpretation that only the elected Master and Wardens should wear the jewels regardless of where they sit in the Lodge and in their absence, no other brother should wear their jewel. In closely studying the immovable jewel paragraph, we should focus on “being worn by the officers in those respective stations. In each Lodge, the Master and Wardens are elected into their respective office and stations. Another brother who is filling in during the work of the Lodge has not been elected or installed into that station and therefore cannot assume the duties, responsibilities, or the jewel of the office or station. Only the officer who has been duly elected by the brethren of his Lodge to that office is entitled to wear the jewel. If we attempt to take a hard literal interpretation of the paragraph on immovable jewels, the immovable definition could mean that only the installed officer and he alone should be sitting in the station with his jewel on. Although in the early years of Masonry in South Carolina this hard literal interpretation may have been the practice, it is not practical nor desirable today with the possibility of the absence of an officer or our current tradition of having Past Masters and Wardens conferring degrees, and our practice of extending the courtesy to visiting brothers to participate in degree conferrals.

When the brethren of a Lodge invests a brother with the jewel of his office, it is a very solemn act, especially, the investment of the Square to the Master, the Level to the Senior Warden and the Plumb to the Junior Warden. The investment of these sacred jewels symbolizes that the brethren of their Lodge have entrusted them and them alone with the leadership, care, and future of their beloved Lodge. Perhaps each of us should reflect upon this thought the next time that we consider offering our jewel to another.