IDEA for you, t&k (and I love your user name, so creative! envious):

Take yourself over to the Badge Trends thread, and put out some feelers there. One of your sisters may be able to help you out in locating a badge! I did that for a Theta sister a couple of years ago - got her a vintage badge with an interesting history for ~$100 +/-. Not everyone is in the business of making $ or being greedy about selling badges for profit. :rolleyes: Personally I'd much rather see a Theta badge happily shared with an active who will treasure it and wear it with love and pride, than see one go to a non-Theta who will only hoard it (or worse). I am willing to bet this will have a happy ending if you go through one of your own sisters... just an idea.

and, with the holidays coming, perhaps there will be a little $ that you can put towards a badge/pin?

Keep in mind that even if you purchase a vintage badge, your sorority may require you to purchase a badge from headquarters as part of your one-time new member fees and requirements. My college roommate wore her mother's pin throughout her membership in ADPi, but she was still required to purchase her own.

Agreed on asking family if they can help pay to "upgrade" your badge as an early Christmas present

Or a jeweled badge might something for the Santa list.

If you think that you want a jeweled badge someday, and you can swing the cost now, it makes sense to purchase it while you're in college. You will most likely wear your badge more frequently as a collegiate member than as an alumna. I love my badge, but just don't have that many opportunities to wear it. If I hadn't bought a jeweled badge in college, it would be tough to justify the expense now, not just because I wear it less frequently, but because I have so many more pressing things to spend my money on.

I suggest you buy whatever you can afford and that is beautiful to you.

As for blingy badges, my first badge was a blingy one because I have a diamond birthday,l but I went with the small version to be at least a little modest. Since I wasn't bearing the cost, someone else set the budget. Now as an Alumna, I'm wanting a larger but simpler badge and now of course gold has gone through the roof! Take AzTheta's advice and see if a badge rescuer might not be wanting to re-home a beauty she got for a song.

I wish I could have variations on my badge, but my fraternity only has one option, after going into badge collecting I get a little envious. But I know my badge was included in my initiation costs.

It bothers me when I hear sisters say they just want "the cheapest option" - especially when they proceed to drop a few hundred dollars on lettered shirts they probably won't wear after college. Your badge is for life. Try to order what you like while sticking to your budget. My fancy badge/guard was my Christmas gift my freshman year.

Badge Choices for Delta Delta Delta
 

Trident or no trident?
If yes to trident: plain (no pearl), one pearl or three pearls?

When I was a collegian, the original plan was for me to buy a plain badge, and my sister would give me her jeweled badge to wear. Thankfully, my mom thought that was a stupid idea and insisted that I get the same badge that my sister had. I am very happy that I have the pearl encrusted badge that I really wanted, instead of the plain one because now as an alumna, I would never shell the money out for it.

Just my 2 cents worth, but if I had an option for something like a trident, you bet I would get one!! Maybe not terribly pearly, though... just 1 pearl.

Agreed! Those tridents are awesome!

As an alumna, I'm now wishing I had gotten a trident for my badge around when I was first initiated, but I simply never got around to it. Now, I'm planning on buying the three pearl trident, even though I don't wear my badge nearly as much as I used to. I love the way the pearls on the trident look next to the pearls on our badge!

I guess my sorority doesn't have the trident option, because I don't even know what that is haha. Can you lovely ladies enlighten me?

My pin was all pearl and so was my chapter guard. I was so surprised when my parents agreed to pay for it and all these years later it's still beautiful. Of course, my Mother was not in a sorority and I think she thought that everyone had pearl pins!

the Trident is for Tri Delta members
 

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/DELTA-DELTA-D...iMD!~~0_35.JPG

The trident is an optional guard pin for Tri Delta members. The trident is to be placed at a 45 degree angle left to right behind the badge, passing between the center and left-hand stars.

It looks sort of like a stick-pin!