Thread: ID: Six-Point Star Symbol

Originally Posted by CJBianco

...Honestly...I'm afraid to sell it. As a Buddhist, I must avoid any intentional [or accidental, if it can be helped] misleading information. (It's akin to Thou shalt not lie!) But beyond that, I'd feel simply awful if someone bought it thinking one thing, and time proved the other. Of course, I always offer a 100% refund on anything I sell, but it's better to never require a refund in the first place. Don't you agree? Anyway...the short answer is...it's because I'm afraid. LOL =)

Me

Why can't you just sell it as a "French Faux Frameback" and leave it as that? I'm sure that there are members that would like to have this razor because it is a great looking razor.

Originally Posted by The Blacksmith

Why can't you just sell it as a "French Faux Frameback" and leave it as that? I'm sure that there are members that would like to have this razor because it is a great looking razor.

But that solution would be too easy. And I like to complicate things.

Me

Thread moved from BST to Razors at request of OP in the hopes that the razor in question can be more correctly identified.

Originally Posted by ByronTodd

Thread moved from BST to Razors at request of OP in the hopes that the razor in question can be more correctly identified.

The following is the original description of the razor while it was in the B/S/T Forum:

SALE: Masonic Rameau (French Faux Frameback)

This is a cool little project I was playing around with. It's a Rameau à Sens made for Gelle Freres à Paris. The Gelle Freres company specialized in perfumes and other luxurious salon items. Lots of information on the internet about them. However, the Rameau character is a mystery. The razor is a fine piece of steel and obviously worthy of the Gelle Freres name. But it's the six-point star symbol that really caught my eye. The symbol appeared at first glance to be a Star of David with some style of Hebrew writing on the inside. After a light polishing and some research, I discovered that the first half of the writing reads: 1RE. The number 1 in French has a long flag on it, and the ordinal version is premiere, the feminine version written shorthand as 1RE. So the inside reads 1st...something. The six-point star is an important symbol for the Freemasons. So I'm thinking this is a Masonic razor stamped with some kind of mark for 1st...Degree Mason? I don't know. Oh, and Sens [Rameau at/of Sens] is a city in France that specialized in cutlery. I discovered that too. (I seriously spent hours on the research!)

...

RAMEAU A SENS / [MASONIC STAR] / GELLE FRERES A PARIS: The blade is a 6/8+ shoulderless concave grind or faux frameback with a French point. The scales are black horn with white bone spacer.

...

Thanks,
Christopher

(NOTE: The price, warranty, and shipping information is removed from the original advertisment.)

So...back to the center mark in the star... Does anyone else see the little squiggle attached to the C? (Or is it just my imagination?)

If it's a squiggle mark, then I would suspect the C is the first letter of some word that is commonly written shorthand with a C-squiggle.

Me

I live in Israel and speak Hebrew. Inside the six-star likely Arab letters. The Menorah - a seven candles, and so there is no this simbols on the razor. As far as I know, Freemason often used the six-star.

Originally Posted by manah

I live in Israel and speak Hebrew. Inside the six-star likely Arab letters. The Menorah - a seven candles, and so there is no this simbols on the razor. As far as I know, Freemason often used the six-star.

Hmm...the first half of the writing inside the star is French for Premiere or 1st (1RE). The last half is not Hebrew. And the star is neither Jewish nor Masonic.

Maybe it's a FIRST PLACE stamp?

After all, First Place blue ribbons are commonly outlined with the star motif. And the Gelle Freres a Paris company won several awards (see previous post) for their perfumes.

Do you think this is simply some kind of marketing stamp: Gelle Freres a Paris...1st Prize Award.

But then again...why is it not on the same side as the Gelle Freres logo? Maybe the Rameau company won an award. ARGH!!! (This is killing me!)

Me =)

Inside the star 1RE and the same in Arabic (the Arabic numerals resemble the letters). Where were colony of France in the beginning of 40th? And Syria, too. Razor can be manufactured in Syria for France.

In Syria, then lived many jews and manufactory may be jewish. Therefore, the six-star. A major languages in Syria were Arabic and French.

Originally Posted by manah

Inside the star 1RE and the same in Arabic (the Arabic numerals resemble the letters). Where were colony of France in the beginning of 40th? And Syria, too. Razor can be manufactured in Syria for France.

Brilliant! The French colonized Syria from 1918-1944. And they spoke Syrian Arabic.

And I just discovered something too!

I Googled the address of Gelle Freres and I found THIS page. It's an old Gelle Freres alum block. (I'm sure it goes well with the razor.) If you zoom in on the top left corner, it reads: Paris. Grand Prix. 1900

Next I Googled the phrase: Paris. Grand Prix. 1900. I came to THIS page. It's a pocket watch with the same inscription. (Words only, no star.) The author writes:

"In 1900 The company wins a Gold Medal at the World Fair in Paris. Watches made after 1900 proudly carry an appropriate inscription."

Obviously, according to the alum block package, the Gelle Freres a Paris company won a Gold Medal (1st Place / 1RE Premiere) for one of it's products at the World Fair in Paris, 1900.

I believe this is a symbol marketing that achievement. (And written in the Syrian Arabic, which according to our friend manah, uses the same numerical system of letters and numbers: 1RE.)

Is the mystery finally solved???

(Whew!)

Me