The Vigil Triangle
A Hand-Engraved, Sterling Silver Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor Triangle Pendant
Now that’s a mouthful!
The Vigil brothers in my Lodge (O-Shot-Caw #265) have a long-standing tradition of wearing a handmade metal Vigil triangle pendant. Our first Lodge Chief, Joe Galleano, is an impressive craftsman and a fine worker of Plains-style nickel silver. He’s made innumerous Vigil triangles over the years. The silver flash of metal abounds at our annual Vigil Breakfast in December.
I’m a man of traditions and am certainly captivated by material culture and personal adornment. In the culture of Scouting we wear a uniform – which the uninitiated might think renders us into a state of same-ness, devoid of the personal. But we Scouts know there is much to read in a Scout Uniform; it speaks volumes about the wearer’s experiences, understandings and recognitions. A patch, a knot, a strip reveals to us just who the wearer is.
And this is true of one of my hand-engraved, sterling silver Vigil Honor triangle pendants. It is my goal to make these personal adornments truly representational of the Vigil Honor which has been bestowed upon the wearer.
Each triangle is entirely hand-made of sterling silver (the sheet is 22 gauge) and is 2 inches tall, measuring 2.25 inches along each side. It is entirely hand-engraved, in great detail, with care and as much skill as I can muster. While I am working with the same Vigil imagery for the front of each triangle – at no point is any triangle mass-produced; each is an individual. The back of the triangle is personalized with the wearer’s Vigil name and any appropriate imagery – whatever I can fit into the small space. (The longest Vigil name I’ve engraved to date had 40 letters! – see the photo.)
All of the engraving is made by cutting each line, one at a time, with a steel graver. For clarity’s sake the lines are NOT stamped, or chased, or cut with a laser, or made with a Dremel tool, or a CNC machine router, or Made in China, but cut by hand by me in the time-honor craft of metal engraving.
Each piece is delivered in a suede pouch and comes with a 36 inch genuine Greek leather lace. Tie it on and you’ll be ready to stand out at any O.A. gathering.