This ornate
Masonic Ball Fob can also be known as a Cross Fob or a Masonic Orb. It can
appear initially to simply be a Gold sphere, however when unhinged, it opens
into a cross-shaped Pendant. The original Freemason owner of this will have
worn this to discreetly shown their membership into the brotherhood. They are
still in production to this day, however most commonly date to the late 19th
century.
Originally
typically used as a fob for a pocket watch, in modern day they can also be used
on a charm bracelet or worn on a chain as a Pendant. This design typifies the
great craftsmanship shown in Masonic jewellery, with the arrangement of small
hinges not being visible from the exterior.
When opened the
cross shape is formed by six pyramids, each showing four Masonic symbols. There
are several interpretations of the meaning behind the creation of these, one
being that when the fob is laid out, it
shows the structure of a lodge room with the Master’s square at the right, the
two pillars and the level of the Senior Warden on the centre left and the cross
in the middle. The left segment then represents the first degree, the upper
segment represents the second degree and the lower segment represents the third
degree.
Masonic
Jewellery was typically made from 9ct or 10ct Gold, this particular piece bears
9ct and Silver hallmarks on the underside. The varieties of symbols on the
pyramid faces include the tools of stonemasons to represent moral values which
are a key element of freemasonry.
Happy treasure hunting!
Ally
For further reading, here is an explanation of the cruciform
arrangement of St. John’s Lodge Emblems contained in the golden Globe:
1st
Row: (to be read from West to East)
"The
Conception of God"
1st Square:
Compasses:
God's omnipotence is visible everywhere.
Sun and Moon:
The heaven's show forth His glory, one day declares it to be another.
Plumb-line:
His power descends from above to the whole of the earth
2nd Square:
Level:
and spreads over the surface of the world.
Two columns:
Rising and setting are His work
Delta:
and show us there must be a divine existence.
3rd Square:
Cross and Cabletow: The
true and first perception of Him has come to us through Christ.
4th Square:
Gavel: Through him we learn the
proper government of the moral as well as the physical world.
Blazing Star:
Thus He appears as the paternal Creator,
Hexagonal Star:
as the merciful, beneficent, preserver of the world,
Square:
and as the everlasting, all-righteous God.
2nd
Row: (to be read from North to South)
"The
Way From Darkness to Light"
(The
moral evolution in virtue of the conception of God.)
1st Square:
Rough Ashlar: The natural man who, being ignorant,
has to learn by the spirit of God,
Tesselated pavement: but is
still His child, capable of development by the divine light that dwells within
him.
Seven steps: by patient
perseverance in well doing, and thus ennobling himself
Trowel: he purifies and refines
his heart according to the will of the Great Architect.
2nd Square:
Cross and cabletow: The real
Teacher of the true way of life is the Master of Nazareth,
3rd Square:
Skull & crossbones: who has
shown by precept and example, that we can, whilst on earth here, separate the
earthly from the heavenly,
Acacia: and who has
brought life
Perfect Ashlar: and
eternal existence to all.
Sources:
"Masonic Timepieces,
Rings, Balls and Watch Fobs" by Brother C. Clark Julius
http://freemasonry.london.museum/it/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Masonic-ball-fobs.pdf
Wallis Simpson loved socializing, and it was at a party that she became acquainted with Edward, Prince of Wales in 1931. From there, the Prince and Wallis Simpson grew close, which led to outrage from his British family as Wallis was seen as a woman of loose morals, due to her several marriages and overly confident behaviour. She was also seen as a seductress who had tempted the heir to the throne away from his duties.
In January 1936, King George V (Edward's father) passed away, making Edward King of England.
