The Scottish Rite ring doubles as that, and Melinda did purchase it as such! Which is good, because I'm too damn old to have all the hot young women coming on to me! Would hate to have a heart attack trying to keep up with them! 😎
I do have Masonic rings, and I do wear them. Not all the time, however.
For example, I too have a Scottish Rite 14th degree ring. I have the original one that was presented to me by Seattle Valley. The gold plating has worn off. So my wife took it with her to Indonesia on a trip, and she had another one made for me there. It is white gold with yellow gold plating. It's actually quite a bit thicker and heavier than the original. I wear it during SR events only.
I have York Rite Masonic rings for the three bodies, and occasionally wear them when attending York Rite meetings, but not always.
I also have a number of Masonic rings with square and compasses. None of which are particularly fantastic. My favorite one that I wear most of the time is a a ring that resembles a high-school graduation ring. I like it, because I have always like that style. it has no stones, but simply the square and compasses on the top, where the stone would be.
I have others that are more subtle in the logo on the ring, and I wear them occasionally.
Here's the rub, pun intended here. I find a ring on my right hand to be uncomfortable. I guess, because I don't wear one often enough for my brain to "ignore" the presence. I find, when worn on the right ring finger, the thicker rings will irritate the insides of the two other fingers.
The high school style ring, is nicely balanced in shape, form, and thickness, and due to the size, I have to wear it on my middle finger of the right hand. It's less obtrusive and I like that. But I keep hitting it on things, or getting it caught on the lip of the pocket of my pants when reaching in for something.
Also, I have yet to find a Masonic ring design that I would wear all the time. No designs I have come across, speak to me in that manner, yet.
“I find a ring on my right hand to be uncomfortable. I guess, because I don't wear one often enough for my brain to "ignore" the presence. I find, when worn on the right ring finger, the thicker rings will irritate the insides of the two other fingers.”
Same here, and in addition, the exposure to chemicals at my job (barber) created and aggravated chemical burns and atopic dermatitis on that hand. So I promptly stopped wearing rings at work. The dermatitis stopped as well. This reduced my wearing of rings to Lodge meetings, which led to what you say about the ring rubbing the adjacent fingers. Worse yet is when someone shakes your hand that has a vice grip. Hurts like hell. So I threw in the towel when it comes to rings. I haven’t worn any since I was in my 20’s and I have no plans to wear any for the indefinite future.
I've seen a couple, including at least one member of our Lodge. I would never talk anyone out of doing that, as our obligation can never be repudiated nor laid aside, and a tattoo would be an excellent symbol of that, as it'd be damn near impossible to remove a tattoo from a finger.
That being said, the closest thing I have to a tattoo is a pencil tip imbedded in my left wrist, from a pencil fight with a classmate in 7th grade. Next year, it will be 40 years that the pencil tip has been there.
"...carve the pencil tip out of your wrist with a jackknife..." Not quite what the Principal's office said or did when I showed up with the pencil sticking out of my wrist, but the tip broke off when I got there, and the clerk said I could have a doctor use tools to take it out, or it could stay there and not harm anything. I wasn't a fan of sharp instruments, so I chose the latter, and she said it'll probably be like a tattoo in a way, as it's deep enough for the body to not expel it (like a wood splinter, for example.) I DO remember her mention the word "Tattoo." And she was right. It's still there.
I guess that I'm different somehow because I've never experienced the uncomfortableness or rubbing that you and Clayton mention. I don't really feel a ring when I'm wearing one, except for when I'm typing. I take them off when typing, because the weight of the ring unbalances my finger, or so it seems to register in my brain!
I wear a smallish, silver Masonic ring on my right hand and rarely take it off. It has a very small diamond in the center of the G. It is not very valuable in a monetary since. However, sentimentally is means a lot! My mother-in-law gave it to me when I became a MM. Her father wore it for many years.
We have a GM ring as well. Then when our GM goes out of office there's a budget for him to get his own PGM ring.
I have my Dad's onyx/gold ring and my grandfather's gold ring. I also bought a stainless steel dbl headed eagle ring that I need repaired, and a stainless 14th degree ring.
After I almost broke my finger none of my rings fit now. The knuckle is permanently...mishappen! So now my right hand ring finger has no adornment.
That said, I look forward to seeing your new ring!
Some of our PGM's have a replica of our GM ring made when they leave office. I thought about that quite a bit, but ultimately decided against it. I just didn't think it would be quite the same.
You could go with one on the pinky, like a Mafia guy, or one on the pointer like dracula!
Yep, in my Jurisdiction we do tell EA's and FC's that they shouldn't wear Masonic jewelry. The explanation generally given to them is that as they aren't yet Master Masons, they might not be able to answer questions a Master Mason might ask to see if they really are Masons.
But, here at least, that's just a tradition. There isn't any sort of actual rule about it.
As I recall, as an EA, I ignored it and bought a ring. I also, on those occasions when I'm the one giving the new EA instructions after his Degree, omit mention of that prohibition. But, then again, I omit most of that stuff after the Degree, as I don't imagine the new Brother will remember any of it anyway. That stuff can be better explained a day or two later by his coach or mentor.
I have a number of masonic rings, but I generally only wear two. One is a nice PM ring that I wear on my right index finger. The other is a nice subtle SR ring with a diamond instead of "32" - I had the jeweler punch 32 on the sides instead. That one goes on my right pinky.
But I've kind of stopped wearing rings, shaking hands becomes painful as some brothers seem to think they need to employ that crush grip and the rings make it 10x worse. I mean, seriously, why be a douche bag shaking hands?
Honestly, I've never noticed that with overly strong handshakes and my rings. I just don't seem to feel the ring at all, but I see that you aren't the only one to mention discomfort here. I wonder if my fingers are shaped differently or something. I do notice that my middle knuckle is quite a bit wider than my first finger digit. Maybe that isolates the ring from the surrounding two fingers.
I hope that you are enjoying WV! When you moved there, Melinda and I started watching some YouTube videos exploring it. Looks pretty, and rural, which we like.
No Wedding ring worn? Could mean you're available.
The Scottish Rite ring doubles as that, and Melinda did purchase it as such! Which is good, because I'm too damn old to have all the hot young women coming on to me! Would hate to have a heart attack trying to keep up with them! 😎
What made my ring special was that my wife bought it for me as a Christmas present.
Yep, that's awesome! Melinda bought my Scottish Rite ring, the others have been my own purchases.
I do have Masonic rings, and I do wear them. Not all the time, however.
For example, I too have a Scottish Rite 14th degree ring. I have the original one that was presented to me by Seattle Valley. The gold plating has worn off. So my wife took it with her to Indonesia on a trip, and she had another one made for me there. It is white gold with yellow gold plating. It's actually quite a bit thicker and heavier than the original. I wear it during SR events only.
I have York Rite Masonic rings for the three bodies, and occasionally wear them when attending York Rite meetings, but not always.
I also have a number of Masonic rings with square and compasses. None of which are particularly fantastic. My favorite one that I wear most of the time is a a ring that resembles a high-school graduation ring. I like it, because I have always like that style. it has no stones, but simply the square and compasses on the top, where the stone would be.
I have others that are more subtle in the logo on the ring, and I wear them occasionally.
Here's the rub, pun intended here. I find a ring on my right hand to be uncomfortable. I guess, because I don't wear one often enough for my brain to "ignore" the presence. I find, when worn on the right ring finger, the thicker rings will irritate the insides of the two other fingers.
The high school style ring, is nicely balanced in shape, form, and thickness, and due to the size, I have to wear it on my middle finger of the right hand. It's less obtrusive and I like that. But I keep hitting it on things, or getting it caught on the lip of the pocket of my pants when reaching in for something.
Also, I have yet to find a Masonic ring design that I would wear all the time. No designs I have come across, speak to me in that manner, yet.
“I find a ring on my right hand to be uncomfortable. I guess, because I don't wear one often enough for my brain to "ignore" the presence. I find, when worn on the right ring finger, the thicker rings will irritate the insides of the two other fingers.”
Same here, and in addition, the exposure to chemicals at my job (barber) created and aggravated chemical burns and atopic dermatitis on that hand. So I promptly stopped wearing rings at work. The dermatitis stopped as well. This reduced my wearing of rings to Lodge meetings, which led to what you say about the ring rubbing the adjacent fingers. Worse yet is when someone shakes your hand that has a vice grip. Hurts like hell. So I threw in the towel when it comes to rings. I haven’t worn any since I was in my 20’s and I have no plans to wear any for the indefinite future.
I've seen Masons have a 'ring' tattoo on their finger where other Masons wear a ring. We could get you one of those!
I've seen a couple, including at least one member of our Lodge. I would never talk anyone out of doing that, as our obligation can never be repudiated nor laid aside, and a tattoo would be an excellent symbol of that, as it'd be damn near impossible to remove a tattoo from a finger.
That being said, the closest thing I have to a tattoo is a pencil tip imbedded in my left wrist, from a pencil fight with a classmate in 7th grade. Next year, it will be 40 years that the pencil tip has been there.
We can solve both things at our next Lodge meeting if you'd like!
I can give you the finger tattoo, and we can get someone else to carve the pencil tip out of your wrist with a jackknife! A two for one deal!
Seriously though, the Masonic ring tattoos look cool to me. I've considered it in the past.
"...carve the pencil tip out of your wrist with a jackknife..." Not quite what the Principal's office said or did when I showed up with the pencil sticking out of my wrist, but the tip broke off when I got there, and the clerk said I could have a doctor use tools to take it out, or it could stay there and not harm anything. I wasn't a fan of sharp instruments, so I chose the latter, and she said it'll probably be like a tattoo in a way, as it's deep enough for the body to not expel it (like a wood splinter, for example.) I DO remember her mention the word "Tattoo." And she was right. It's still there.
I would have made the same decision as you. Can't trust a sawbones with a knife!
I guess that I'm different somehow because I've never experienced the uncomfortableness or rubbing that you and Clayton mention. I don't really feel a ring when I'm wearing one, except for when I'm typing. I take them off when typing, because the weight of the ring unbalances my finger, or so it seems to register in my brain!
I wear a smallish, silver Masonic ring on my right hand and rarely take it off. It has a very small diamond in the center of the G. It is not very valuable in a monetary since. However, sentimentally is means a lot! My mother-in-law gave it to me when I became a MM. Her father wore it for many years.
It is awesome that you have one passed down through family!
We have a GM ring as well. Then when our GM goes out of office there's a budget for him to get his own PGM ring.
I have my Dad's onyx/gold ring and my grandfather's gold ring. I also bought a stainless steel dbl headed eagle ring that I need repaired, and a stainless 14th degree ring.
After I almost broke my finger none of my rings fit now. The knuckle is permanently...mishappen! So now my right hand ring finger has no adornment.
That said, I look forward to seeing your new ring!
Some of our PGM's have a replica of our GM ring made when they leave office. I thought about that quite a bit, but ultimately decided against it. I just didn't think it would be quite the same.
You could go with one on the pinky, like a Mafia guy, or one on the pointer like dracula!
Im bet id beat the tar out of it a ring on my pinky!
I know that EAs and FCs are not allowed to wear Masonic rings. But I never got an explanation why. What is the reason? Tradition?
Yep, in my Jurisdiction we do tell EA's and FC's that they shouldn't wear Masonic jewelry. The explanation generally given to them is that as they aren't yet Master Masons, they might not be able to answer questions a Master Mason might ask to see if they really are Masons.
But, here at least, that's just a tradition. There isn't any sort of actual rule about it.
As I recall, as an EA, I ignored it and bought a ring. I also, on those occasions when I'm the one giving the new EA instructions after his Degree, omit mention of that prohibition. But, then again, I omit most of that stuff after the Degree, as I don't imagine the new Brother will remember any of it anyway. That stuff can be better explained a day or two later by his coach or mentor.
You also would be hard pressed to find an EA or FC ring that would more appropriate.
I have a number of masonic rings, but I generally only wear two. One is a nice PM ring that I wear on my right index finger. The other is a nice subtle SR ring with a diamond instead of "32" - I had the jeweler punch 32 on the sides instead. That one goes on my right pinky.
But I've kind of stopped wearing rings, shaking hands becomes painful as some brothers seem to think they need to employ that crush grip and the rings make it 10x worse. I mean, seriously, why be a douche bag shaking hands?
Honestly, I've never noticed that with overly strong handshakes and my rings. I just don't seem to feel the ring at all, but I see that you aren't the only one to mention discomfort here. I wonder if my fingers are shaped differently or something. I do notice that my middle knuckle is quite a bit wider than my first finger digit. Maybe that isolates the ring from the surrounding two fingers.
I'm glad I gave you a chance to add that. LOL
Yep, would be bad if Melinda murdered me! 🤠
June 6th will be here soon and i am looking forward to be back in Good Standing. Currently living and own a home in West Virginia.
I hope that you are enjoying WV! When you moved there, Melinda and I started watching some YouTube videos exploring it. Looks pretty, and rural, which we like.
I look forward to seeing some of these photos of new acquisitions adorning your posts MWB Bailey!
Alas, I only use stock photos for my essays now. Photography was never my thing.