This Daughters of Rebekah silver pendant is packed with symbols: the beehive itself a representation of cooperative effort and industry; the moon and seven stars represent the never failing order of the universe and all of nature; the peace dove represents the order's mission of love and charity, tolerance and forbearance; and the lily symbolizes purity of character, of thought, of word, and of action. And on the reverse FLT for Friendship, Love and Truth, and "We command you to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan." Whew!
I am not certain the date on this; I have found a few others but no definitive dating. The date 1834 is noted on the reverse, which is a bit confusing (IOOF in the United States was formally founded in 1843 and Rebekah Lodges in 1851; I almost wonder if it was meant to be 1843 and the numbers were reverse.) Anyway, this is not that old, earlyish 20th c. I believe.
Pendant measures 1 5/8" x 1 7/16". The cord has a 17" drop. I myself would likely take it off the cord and put it on a silver chain, as it is really a very lovely thing. I am 99% certain it is sterling silver (if I am wrong, I will happily, as always, take returns.) I went ahead and gave it a bit of a polish and it polished up very easily; it is in very good condition.
You might also like
