What to Get a Freemason, A Gift Guide That Isn't Guesswork

This page is for people who are not Masons, buying for someone who is. If that is you, the good news is that this is an easy audience. The bad news is that there are three specific ways to get it wrong, and they are all avoidable.

The three rules

1. Do not buy an emblem he has not earned.

Masonic emblems are specific and members notice instantly. A 32° ring is for Scottish Rite members. A Past Master ring is for someone who has served as Worshipful Master of a Lodge. A Shrine fez is for a Noble. A Knights Templar cross is for a Sir Knight.

If you do not know which bodies he belongs to, stick to the square and compasses. Every Master Mason can wear it, and it is the emblem of the fraternity itself.

2. If he is not raised yet, wait on regalia.

A man partway through his degrees is not yet entitled to most of it, and a ring given early takes away a milestone he is looking forward to. Buy something else now and buy the ring after his third degree.

3. He probably already has a coffee mug.

Masonic gift shopping converges on mugs, keychains, and car decals because they are what search results show first. He owns them. Aim one step past the obvious.

The genuinely good gifts

An apron case. The single most underrated item in Masonry, and almost nobody buys it for themselves. His apron is currently folded into a briefcase, developing creases that will never come out. A proper case fixes that, costs less than a ring, and is used every single meeting. If you want one recommendation from this page, this is it.

White gloves, two pairs. Required in many jurisdictions and always for funerals and public ceremonies. The Lodge’s spare pair never fits. Nobody has ever regretted having a second pair in the car. Cheap, and used constantly.

Cufflinks or a tie bar. The safe jewelry gift, because unlike a ring it does not need sizing and unlike a fez it does not need entitlement. Square and compasses, and he will wear them to every installation for a decade.

A good pen. Unglamorous and unfailingly used. Every Mason who holds an office signs things constantly, and Secretaries and Treasurers most of all.

A book. Riskier: Masonic publishing ranges from serious scholarship to conspiracy paperbacks, but a well-chosen history is a real gift. If you can, ask a Brother of his what he has already read.

Something with his Lodge’s name and number. A personalized item naming his own Lodge beats a generic one every time. He will have to tell you the number; asking is not a spoiler and he will enjoy being asked.

By occasion

His first degree: a card, and nothing else. It is not a shopping moment.

Being raised a Master Mason: this is the milestone. Ring, apron case, cufflinks, or a good pen. Now is when a ring is appropriate. See the ring guide for sizing, which is where gift rings usually go wrong.

Installation as Worshipful Master: the biggest night of his Masonic life so far. A Past Master gift is traditionally given at the end of that year, not the beginning. During the year: something for the office. Afterward: the Past Master ring or jewel, if his Lodge does not already present one.

Christmas or birthday, no particular milestone: gloves, case, glassware, a decent flask, wall art for the office, a car emblem.

A Shriner: Shrine items are their own category and Nobles tend to be enthusiastic about them. Safe ground if you know he is one.

What to skip

• Anything claiming the 33rd degree. It is honorary, conferred by invitation, and cannot be bought. Anyone selling it is selling nothing.
• “Illuminati” merchandise. It is not the same thing, he knows it is not the same thing, and it is the joke he is most tired of.
• Cheap gold-plated rings for daily wear. The plating wears through within a year or two. Stainless steel at the same price will outlive both of you.
• Regalia for a body you are guessing about. When in doubt: square and compasses.

If you only remember one thing

Buy the apron case and a second pair of white gloves, and you will have bought him two things he uses at every meeting and would never have bought himself.

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