Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Columbian Lodge Past Master's Jewel for George G.[irdler] Smith Past Master
1828
Maker not marked
USA: Massachusetts, Boston
Silver
4-3/16"h x 4-1/4"w x 1/4"d
Loaned by the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts
GL2004.3781

Circular silver medal or jewel with a loop at the top. The edge is composed of S-shaped feathers or leaves. In the center is a square and compass with a cartouche in the middle. The cartouche is engraved, "Presented by / Columbian Lodge to / R.W. George G. Smith / for his faithful service / as Master from Dec. 1st / 1825 to Dec. 6th 1827." The back is engraved, "At a meeting of / Columbian Lodge / held Jany 1st 1846, it was unanimously / Voted, That the thanks of the Lodge / be presented to our Brother / R.W. George G. Smith, / for the faithful and distinguished services / he has rendered the Lodge as Master, during / the Years 1828, and 1841 to 1844 inclusive. / Voted, That the above vote be inscribed / upon the masters Jewel presented / to him in 1828."

Over time Past Master’s jewels have been made in different sizes and shapes, depending on the jurisdiction, local taste, and the lodge’s budget. Brethren at Columbian Lodge honored George Girdler Smith (1795-1878) with this jewel, in a shape favored by some Boston lodges, in 1828. In 1846, the lodge added an engraved message on the reverse of the jewel thanking Smith for the “faithful and distinguished services he has rendered the Lodge as Master” several more times. For further information, see blog post, May 17, 2019, https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2019/05/a-distinctive-style-of-past-masters-jewel.html