• Founder Bettie Locke spent more than a year designing Kappa Alpha Theta’s badge. When the design was complete, she sought a jeweler who made other fraternity badges. John Newman of New York was contacted, and in his response, he first addressed Bettie as "sir." We do not have Bettie's reply, but he does refer to her as "Miss Locke" in his next letter.
• Photographs from the early years of Kappa Alpha Theta often picture members wearing their badges as hair ornaments. Today, pin-on pendants and rings offer Thetas various ways to wear our badge with pride.
• According to Theta legend, when the cornerstone of DePauw’s East College building was laid in 1870, a Theta badge was one of the “time capsule” items enclosed.
• Because Sarah Ida Shaw and Eleanor Dorcas Pond did not want the price of the badge to prevent someone from becoming a member, the original badges were simple Stars and Crescent design. The jewel promised them at $1.25 a piece, of 14k gold, but very thin provided they order two dozen.
• Early badges were ordered from a variety of jewelers and often were varying sizes, and contained a variety of stones: diamonds, opals, pearls and even turquoise. In 1938 the By-Laws of Delta Delta Delta limited the jewel to be used in the stars to pearls.
• Contrary to urban legend, there is not a Tri Delta badge pinned to the flag on the moon!
• Alpha Xi Delta’s badge, The Quill, represents the Fraternity’s motto, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
• Lewie Strong Taylor designed the first Quill in May 1893. Originally, Lewie designed Alpha Xi Delta’s badge to have a rose above the Quill, but the jeweler who fashioned the first pins feared the rose would fall off with normal wear. The original badge was approximately seven-eighths of an inch long and set on a stickpin.
• Cora Bollinger Block had the first jeweled Quill with a sapphire surrounded by turquoise jewels.
• Zeta Tau Alpha's badge was designed in 1899 by Giles Mebane Smith, brother of Founder Frances Yancey Smith.
• The badge may be gold or silver and may be surrounded by one or two types of jewels.
• At the 1908 Convention, ZTA members voted that the badge may not be worn by men or turned into another piece of jewelry. That policy remains in effect today.
• In the early days of Theta Phi Alpha, the shape of the badge was consistent, with the gold letter (Theta), jeweled, with the letters (Phi) and (Alpha) superimposed. The jewels varied depending on the social station of the member. While the Fraternity jewels were pearls and sapphires, even rubies were featured in badges!
• In 1932, the Fraternity voted to have a uniform badge, with 19 pearls on the gold Theta. Since then, the only members of the Fraternity to wear a badge with other stones are the members of the Grand Council and chapter presidents.
• Theta Phi Alpha has unveiled a diamond and sapphire badge in commemoration of the Fraternity's Centennial year, 2012.
