Designed and executed by Leslie Durbin, the distinguished London silversmith, the insignia was commissioned with the help of donations from local industrialists and citizens of the borough.
Shaped like an astrolabe, the 18ct gold badge embodies the ‘time-ball’ on the principal building of the old Greenwich Royal Observatory, the meridian line and lines of latitude and longitude. The ‘time-ball’ is set with small rubies.
Electrical sine waves encircle the globe, symbolic of the cable and electrical industries. Satellites, in the form of small diamonds, represent the new era of telecommunication. The Mayor's badge has a clasp with electrical waves of energy in gold radiating from the sun, which is represented by a circular cluster of diamonds.
The chain, also in 18ct gold, consists of links in the form of a symbol recognised internationally for electric circuit.
The badge and chain of the Mayoress are similar, but smaller in size and has a cultured pearl, representing the moon, in the clasp.