Victorian Masonic Ball Fob

Victorian Masonic Ball FobAn antique masonic orb or (or magic ball) pendant dating from the latter half of the 19th century. These remarkable little oddities come in the form of a sphere with four hinged 'arms' at the top that hold it all together. When removed, the cleverly hinged ball opens out into a cross shape, with six pyramids pointing upwards. Each of the pyramids' faces is then carved with a different masonic symbol: the classic Square & Compass, a skull and

and large nuggets like these were relatively scarce after the first couple of years

and specially shaped tesserae to indicate particular features

Electa is represented by the color red and a chalice

Stones: Feldspar

they are life

cut as an oval cabochon with a sugarloaf style ridge running down the middle

Admired by the ancients

VS2/SI1 clarity approx

and the quality craftsmanship

appears to have been recently re-strung

bakelite is never translucent and colourful like this

The band appears to have been replaced at some point in the distant past