Masonic Jewelry: Pins, Pendants and Cufflinks
This page covers everything worn except the ring. Rings get their own guide, because the questions they raise — sizing, permanent wear, points in or out — have nothing in common with choosing a lapel pin.
Here the variable that governs everything is where and when you wear it. A pendant under a shirt, a lapel pin at a Saturday breakfast, and an officer’s jewel worn at a stated communication answer entirely different needs, and comparing them on one scale without saying so would be useless.
Our pick, in one minute
A sterling silver square and compasses pendant on a fine chain
The most adjustable piece of Masonic jewelry there is. Worn under a shirt it is invisible; drawn out it reads clearly. Unlike a ring it raises no sizing question, and unlike a lapel pin it does not require a jacket. Sterling patinas rather than degrading.
- Best for
- Discreet daily wear, or a first piece when you are still deciding what you want to display.
- Not for
- Anyone wanting something visible at lodge — a pin or jewel does that better — and anyone who never wears a chain, for whom it will live in a drawer.
- Budget
- $25 to $90 in sterling, chain included
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The comparison
| Model | Common material | Discretion | Typical price | Best for | Score /10 | Merchant link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square and compasses pendant Recommended | Sterling 925 | Total under a shirt | $25 – 90 | Adjustable everyday wear | 8.7 | Check price |
| Lapel pin | Enameled brass | Low, but removable | $8 – 30 | Lodge nights, breakfasts, funerals | 8.0 | Check price |
| Cufflinks | Steel or sterling | Good | $20 – 70 | A discreet signal in a suit | 7.6 | Check price |
| Tie bar or tie tack | Plated steel | Good | $12 – 40 | Works without French cuffs | 7.4 | Check price |
| Officer's jewel and collar | Gilt metal, ribbon | None — that is the point | $40 – 150 | Holding a station | 7.1 | Check price |
| Car emblem | Chromed ABS or metal | Public | $10 – 35 | A gift with no sizing risk | 7.0 | Check price |
Affiliate links. Price and availability may change at any time.
Scores follow the same grid as our other buying guides — fitness for use, symbolic accuracy, build quality, and value — detailed on our Masonic ring guide. They are editorial assessments, not aggregated user reviews, and we emit no star ratings to search engines.
The pendant: the most adjustable
We recommend it first for one reason: it is the only Masonic jewelry whose visibility you set each morning. Under a shirt it does not exist. Drawn out, it reads. No other piece offers that dial.
Two things to watch. Motif size: below about 3/4 inch the square and compasses stop being legible and the object loses its point; above about 1 1/4 inch it becomes bulky under a shirt. And the chain, which is almost always the weak link in bundled sets — thin links in unspecified metal that break within months. Buy the pendant alone and a decent chain separately; it costs barely more and lasts far longer.
Sterling silver square and compasses pendant, 1 in motif
Our pick- Invisible under a shirt, perfectly legible when drawn out
- No sizing question, unlike a ring
- Sterling patinas without degrading and repolishes
- Passes on without adjustment
- Pointless if you never wear a chain
- Bundled chains usually need replacing
- Scratches against shirt buttons over time
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The lapel pin: the most underrated
The lapel pin has one advantage nothing else matches: it comes off in two seconds. You wear it to a stated communication, a Saturday pancake breakfast, a brother’s funeral — and you take it off. No permanent commitment, no question to field on Monday morning.
It is also the cheapest item here, which makes it the most rational first purchase. Its weakness is mechanical: butterfly clutches loosen and get lost. Models with a locking or magnetic back cost a few dollars more and end the problem permanently.
Lapel pin with locking or magnetic back
Most practical- Removable instantly — nothing to manage outside lodge context
- The cheapest Masonic item there is
- Locking and magnetic backs do not get lost
- Standard butterfly clutches work loose and fall off
- Enamel on budget pins chips within a year or two
- Needs a lapel — useless without a jacket
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Cufflinks and tie bars: the professional compromise
Few Masons think of cufflinks, and it is a missed opportunity. They occupy a peculiar position: visible but never examined. Nobody studies a colleague’s wrists, and a 5/8 inch emblem there goes unnoticed by everyone except someone looking for it.
The obvious limitation is that they require French-cuff shirts, which are now a minority. A tie bar or tie tack solves the same problem without that constraint and works with any dress shirt.
Square and compasses cufflinks
Most discreet in a suit- Visible without ever drawing attention
- No sizing or skin-contact constraint
- Work equally at lodge and at the office
- Require French-cuff shirts
- Easy to lose — buy a solid bullet-back mechanism
- Many models get the emblem orientation wrong
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Officers’ jewels: not ornament
An officer’s jewel is not decorative jewelry but an insignia of office. Worn at the neck on a collar or ribbon, it identifies the station held: the square for the Worshipful Master, the level for the Senior Warden, the plumb for the Junior Warden, crossed keys for the Treasurer, crossed pens for the Secretary.
The practical consequence: you do not buy this on impulse. It corresponds to a specific office, is very often supplied by the lodge, and must conform to the jurisdiction’s regalia schedule. Ask your Secretary before ordering — this is the one item on this page where getting it wrong is visible to the whole room.
The same caution applies to appendant body jewelry. A Scottish Rite double-headed eagle, a York Rite emblem, or a Shrine scimitar and crescent each denote an actual membership. They are not design options.
Jewelry for women
Worth stating plainly: mainstream American Grand Lodges admit men only, but the Order of the Eastern Star — whose membership includes women related to Masons, and Masons themselves — is a large organization with its own emblem, the five-pointed star.
If you are shopping for a woman in a Masonic family, Eastern Star jewelry is usually the correct and appreciated choice rather than square-and-compasses pieces. It is also far better served by the market than it was a decade ago.
What to choose for your situation
Newly raised. A lapel pin at $15. It covers the real need — being identifiable at lodge — without committing you to an object you will choose better in two years.
You want something every day. Pendant, adjustable by what you wear over it. It is the only piece that lets you decide each morning.
You work with the public. Cufflinks if you wear French cuffs, a pendant under the shirt otherwise. Avoid the lapel pin, which is the most visible item here.
You hold a station. Go through your lodge or Grand Lodge, not a marketplace. Regalia schedules are specific and general sellers ignore them.
You are buying a gift. Not a ring and not a chain — too many personal variables. A lapel pin, a car emblem, or an apron case are all safe: universally useful, no sizing, impossible to get wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What Masonic jewelry should a new Mason buy first?
A lapel pin, around $15. It covers the real need — being identifiable at lodge and Masonic events — without committing you to something permanent, and its price means a mistake costs nothing. A sterling pendant is the natural next step if you want something to wear daily.
What is the difference between Masonic jewelry and an officer's jewel?
An officer's jewel is an insignia of office, not ornament: worn at the neck on a collar, it identifies the station held — square for the Worshipful Master, level for the Senior Warden, plumb for the Junior Warden, crossed keys for the Treasurer. It corresponds to an office actually held, is often supplied by the lodge, and must match the jurisdiction's regalia schedule.
What is the most discreet Masonic jewelry?
A pendant worn under a shirt is the most discreet, since it is strictly invisible during the day and legible whenever you draw it out. Cufflinks occupy an interesting middle ground — visible, but never actually examined by anyone. A lapel pin is the most visible item of all.
What size Masonic pendant should I choose?
Between about 3/4 and 1 1/4 inches. Below 3/4 inch the square and compasses become hard to read and the piece loses its point; above 1 1/4 inch it becomes bulky under a shirt. A smaller motif on a fine chain suits a more delicate piece.
Is there Masonic jewelry for women?
Mainstream American Grand Lodges admit men only, but the Order of the Eastern Star — whose membership includes women related to Masons — is a large organization with its own emblem, the five-pointed star. For a woman in a Masonic family, Eastern Star jewelry is usually the correct and appreciated choice rather than square-and-compasses pieces.
Should I buy a pendant and chain together?
Separately, generally. The chain bundled with budget pendants is almost always the weak link: thin links in unspecified metal that break within months. Buying the pendant alone and a decent chain separately costs barely more and lasts far longer.