Scottish Rite 32nd Degree Masonic Ring with 1ct Diamond in 14k Two-Tone Gold

A round brilliant diamond of approximately one carat sits at the centre of this ring in a square white gold box, held on four prongs. A white gold double headed eagle stands on each side of it, engraved right down into the feathers and pierced through in places so light comes from behind them. The yellow gold frame carries black enamel above the centre and the number 32 in black enamel below it. Each shoulder holds a further enamelled emblem — one a blue lozenge, the other a cross of red squares with green leaves around it — the kind of detail a member reads at a glance. 10.00 grams of 14k gold, yellow and white.

This is a ring built to be read rather than simply looked at. Almost nothing on it is ornament: the number states a degree, the eagles state a rite, and the two shoulder emblems each say something more to anyone who knows what he is looking at. That is also why the two colours of gold matter more here than on most rings — white eagles on a yellow frame separate cleanly, and everything stays legible instead of dissolving into one gold shape. The centre stone is doing the opposite job, which is simply to be the largest and brightest thing present, and at roughly a carat it manages that easily against all the detail around it. Rings like this were made to be recognised across a room. Who would recognise yours?