Windrider
Plus-sized tuxedo model
I started with a gold plated ring I got off ebay ($8.64 including shipping) and after a very short time it was turning my finger all sorts of disturbing colorsIf you're looking for a good starter Masonic ring-- one that gives you a good idea what you're really looking for in a ring-- I recommend Amazon.com: Men's Young Line Swarovski Crystal Masonic Ring, Size: 8-13: Jewelry The price varies at times (I got mine when it was $12) and it's been a great ring! It looks good, feels sturdy, but I don't feel bad if it gets nicked or scratched because it was under $20.
Then a friend and I went to a Camping and Trailer show (I have owned a camper for a few years) and he noticed the ring. He mentioned that his father and grandfather were both Masons and offered the loan of one of their rings to me. The deal was that if he became a Mason he wanted the ring back. One of the rings was 14K gold and fit my pinky perfectly so I became the "Goomba Mason" (I'm Italian so I can get away with that ).
I didn't feel comfortable wearing somebody else's ring, though. What if I lost it? So I called up the Jeweler my family has been doing business with for three generations, Freedman Jewelers in Boston, and asked if he had any Masonic rings. The owner's father was a Mason and he had a tray of rings he thought I might like. I went in and one of the rings jumped up out of the tray and yelled, "Take me home!". It has a sapphire (my birth stone) with the S&C and G mounted in the center and lots of Masonic symbols on the sides. Not only the working tools, but a sprig of acacia, tessellated trim around the mounting of the stone, different types of columns supporting the stone mount, and even a "Travelling Man". I couldn't believe how beautiful this ring was. We negotiated for a while and came up with a price I could afford. The only real shocker was the price of resizing it. It had to be made three sizes larger and that set me back $150! Even so, the ring was independently appraised at more then double what I paid.
I wear it whenever I'm not sleeping and have gotten lots of compliments on it.