Buying Greek Items
 

Greetings All,
I was wondering where is a good place to get all of your greek paraphenilla.. Rings, Shirts, Necklaces and so forth. Also for the freemasons out there I pose the same question for Masonic items as well as this question. Would wearing a Masonic Ring as a Master Mason hold more value to that individual than an Entered Apprentice? I realize it is an opinionated question, one for
which might not have an answer, that is also why I was curious if even a Entered Apprentice could wear such a ring. Please let me know if you or any one for that matter can add on to this discussion.

V/r
D

There should be some local shops near campus that sell Greek paraphernalia; also there's a few shops online that have good service, though the names of them escape me at this moment.

You can purchase items with the Masonic emblem, but use or wear of them is discouraged until you become a Master Mason. To me, wearing the Masonic Square and Compasses holds more value as a Master Mason, because you will have learned the full meaning of the use of the all the implements of Freemasonry. The EA and FC degrees are much like pledge degrees, in which only a partial knowledge of the Masonic symbolism is given to you.

Here are some excellent online places to purchase Masonic paraphernalia:

www.macoy.com - Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co.
www.lafsco.com - LA Fraternal Supply Co.
www.nvo.com/lauterer - Geo. Lauterer and Co.

There may be some local places that sell Masonic stuff but they're few and far between; much of it now is sold by the local lodges themselves, usually bought from the above companies.

Each year, the Grand Master of Masons of every state has a coin struck and a pin produced with his official symbol; these are very much sought after as Masonic collectibles by the brethren. One Grand Master's pin I treasure is one that was personally given to me by the then-Grand Master of Masons in Oklahoma, Lanny Sander. It's a pin of his official symbol topped by a tiny diamond chip at the top of the Compasses. (In Oklahoma, the Grand Master's pin comes in two flavors: a plain one for the general membership, and one topped by a diamond chip for use by the Grand Master, Grand Lodge officials, Worshipful Masters and presented to selected individuals.)

Alpha Phi's website contains a list of links to licensed vendors, so I do my shopping at those sites. I'm sure the vendors vary by organization, so you might want to see if yours has a similar list.

Regarding this topic's subject:

www.joetoga.com
www.greekgear.com
www.greekpaddles.com