Curious Jewels of 3bis

These jewels have been reproduced thanks to Bro. Robert Gillery of Jewels of the Craft and appeared in the magazine Diadem. The token of Lodge St. John No.3 bis is shown because its centre is the same as the jewels. My thanks also to Bro. John MacInnes PM 3bis for collating responses to questions about the jewels.

The jewel on the left is definitely Craft and exactly the same as the token and the colour of the ribbon matches the apron.

The central place of a cross suggests that the jewels may be associated with a so-called Christian degree of which a number continue to exist. The obvious symbolism of the Agnus Dei associated with St John and the Pelican which occurs in some orders out with the "blue" degrees. However, St. John the Baptist has many symbols, the chief being:

 The Head, the Lamb, the Shell [for Baptism], the Holly [for the Passion of Christ which he prefigured], the Maltese Cross  The eagle is the Evangelist so maybe the lodge being of St. John and holding both feasts/ festivals then they used both symbols.

Three the four steps up to the cross which is a bit unusual because the normal ruleis to have three - sometimes associated with faith, hope and charity in Christian worship apart from any masonic interpretation-so whatmight be the fourth.

The subtended crosses (one is the Maltese cross) so the Knights of Malta perhaps. The other is a cross that features in arms associated with Jerusalem so maybe some degree or order in which Jerusalem might be significant. ‘Other degrees’ must have been conferred before 1825 as the lodge’s regulation only allowed the usual degrees plus the Mark.

Any further info would be most welcome.