Which hand, which finger
Which finger? We know of no rule. A Masonic ring goes wherever it is comfortable and wherever it clears the other rings on the hand. Two arrangements have tradition behind them: the ring finger of the right hand, which keeps it off the wedding band, and the little finger, where a signet ring has historically sat. Right hand for the Craft and left for the marriage is a convenience, not a doctrine.
Finger determines size, and size is the whole problem with a ring as a gift. Decide the finger first, then measure it; the last section explains how.
Points in, or points out
This is the question with a hundred answers and no ruling. The compasses on the emblem have two points, and the ring can be worn with the points toward the wearer or toward the person he shakes hands with. The two readings are these. Points in: the emblem faces him, a reminder of the obligations he took for himself. Points out: the emblem faces the world, telling anyone who knows the sign that he is a Mason.
We know of no Grand Lodge that has legislated on the direction. One saying has the points turned in until the wearer has served as Master of his Lodge and turned out afterward. Where that is said, it is a Lodge custom or a mentor’s advice; it is not a landmark, and the opposite direction breaks nothing. If the recipient has a mentor, the mentor’s view is the one to follow. If not, either way is correct, and the honest answer to a family member asking which way is “ask him.”
Who may wear the square and compasses
This is the one part of the subject that is not a matter of taste, and it is also the part that varies. An Entered Apprentice and a Fellowcraft are Masons; whether the square and compasses belongs on the hand before the third degree is a matter for the jurisdiction and the Lodge. In some it is discouraged until the raising, in others no one minds, and the man himself is the one to ask about what his Lodge expects. Can an Entered Apprentice wear a Masonic ring? Ask his Lodge, not a gift shop.
For a gift, the safe timing is simple: give the ring at the raising or after it; that timing raises no question in any jurisdiction we know of. Buying it ahead of the night is fine, and a ring is one of the gifts given for the evening of the third degree. The raising page lists the rest. If the recipient was raised years ago, none of this applies; the ring can go on tomorrow.
When to wear it
Every day, if that is his preference. A Masonic ring is not regalia and is not part of the dress for a meeting; the apron is the regalia, and the ring is worn to the Lodge the same way it is worn to the office. Nothing in the ring itself requires it to come off for a meeting; if a Lodge has a local custom, the Lodge will say so. The practical reasons to take it off are the same as for any ring: swimming, heavy tools, machinery, the gym. The shop’s signet is steel with a gold finish, and its listing says to wipe it clean and remove it before swimming or heavy work.
What a ring is not
- Not regalia. Aprons, collars and jewels of office are regalia, and the jurisdiction governs them. A ring comes from a jeweler or a gift shop, and this shop is the second kind.
- Not proof of membership. A ring shows the emblem; it does not make a man a Mason, and nobody at a Lodge door will accept it in place of a dues card.
- Not a badge of rank. The plain square and compasses is right for any Master Mason. Past Master rings exist, in designs that vary by jurisdiction, and are for a Brother who has served in the East. If in doubt, the etiquette guide explains which titles are earned.
- Not universal in design. Some jurisdictions place a G at the center of the emblem and some do not; both are Masonic rings, and neither is wrong for a Brother from the other tradition.
Getting the size right
Measure the finger it will actually go on. A wedding band is a guide to the ring finger of the left hand and to nothing else; the same finger on the other hand can differ, and the little finger runs well smaller than the ring finger. Wrap a strip of paper around the finger where the ring will sit, mark where it overlaps, and lay it against a ruler; the knuckle has to pass, so measure over the knuckle too and take the larger of the two if they differ. Fingers are smaller in the cold and in the morning, so measure in the afternoon.
The shop’s signet ring is listed in sizes 6, 7 and 8 only, the pinky-ring range, which is why the listing calls it a pinky ring. If the measurement lands outside that range, the ring is not the gift; the jewelry and leather page has the cufflinks and the wallet, which need no size. If you cannot measure without spoiling the surprise, borrow a ring he already wears on that finger and match it against a printed ring-size chart. The Raising Set carries the same ring in the same three sizes, so it is no way around the measurement.
For what to put on the other gifts that go with a ring, the engraving guide has the layouts.
