Yes, I said I got it once SthrnZeta pointed it out.

See, I knew this ;) ZLAM to Tippie!

yes. i feel that the quality of the construction of our badge went down when i.o. switched to the present jeweler. nonetheless,as radiozta stated, it is the meaning of our badge which we all hold dearest.

co-sign, FSU!

The present jeweler that is used is because they bought out all of the previous ones.
HJ now makes most of the greek badges out there as well as most of the school rings, etc. This is due to the cosolidation. The previous versions of the badge were all one molded piece, the current version is two pieces. The shield is separate from the base. This makes it a lot easier and cheaper to produce. Personally, I prefer the one-piece design with the more rounded shield.

Now about the badge buisiness.
In my post, many things that were stated were from OTHERS and many of their comments. The meaning of the badge is very special to me, as it is to many sisters. EVERYTHING LOOKS BETTER IN A CATALOGUE. (Seriously, I have bought some things from catalogues that I would have never done so in a store.) Making a post about good color combos is just that, it isn't about our badge itself. The jewels do not give it any extra meaning (in most cases - special badges not included). It is obsurd to me that people would immediately jump to that being a desicration of the badge and even a stand against its very meaning.

Also, my friends with the sapphires were dissapointed because the gems were much smaller than the picture and very light in color (like a blue topaz) and not at all the same. Mine came with the emeralds in a much darker and less vibrant shade of green. Overall the gem clarity and color matching from gem to gem of the badges we saw was not very well done and there were noticible gradients (especially compared to the pictures).

Now, I saw one of our advisors badge and it was stunning. It had the one-piece design and the gems were all one color, but vibrant! It did not look as though someone "took a sharpie marker" to it.

I am sure that many of you who have rescued badges from ebay can concur between the jewelers quality standards.

Most importantly as stated before, the material has nothing to do with the meaning.

My mother wanted me to have a nice badge so that it would be my first and last. We decided on this one and I am very happy to have such a mother. No, I am not some snobby rich kid who needs attention (far from it - oldest of 5 children).

Just because I am young, does not mean that I do not appreciate or understand the meaning of sisterhood or our symbols.

Probably more than many here (GC), I know the meaning of sisterhood. I grew up knowing all of my grandmother's sorority sisters and refered to them as family. They were a constant part of my life until I went to high school. My god mother is my mother's "Big Sister" from college and I still refer to her as Aunt, they still are best friends. My mother's sorority class(~40 of them) even went to vegas together only a few years ago. That sort of life-long sisterhood I really do understand and hope to continue with the sisters in my chapter. The symbols of our sisterhood have meaning and I always watch my actions to make sure that they are a good reflection of those ideals.

If you wrongly accuse me, I will defend my actions. If I am wrong, then I'll admit it!

Well, your post came off as being bitchy about which combos you like and which combos you don't think look good. You don't have to say something directly to get your point across. You included what your friends said to prove your point that some badges don't look as good. To me, that is in VERY poor taste.

Each badge should be appreciated even if it doesn't suit your taste. It may not have any more special meaning just because of the jewels... But, I don't think that necessarily gives us the right to flippantly discuss the beauty of a badge combo. It's not just piece of jewelry. It's a personal outward statement of our commitment to ZTA. So, to me, criticizing any badge is off-color.

It's almost like a wedding dress. You may not like someone else's dress. But, you don't have to like it. How do you think someone might feel if they have one of the badges you mentioned in your post?

I don't care if you have been a ZTA for 2 months or 20 years... If there's something that I feel would help someone to be a better sister, I'll let them know. And, believe me, there have been things that I have done where I have been corrected. So, stop being so defensive. It'll keep you from growing and learning. There's always a different perspective. Be adult enough to realize that.

You say that you watch your actions and words on here. But, then you post this: C'mon. That's just insulting to many here.

Let's get this thread back on track which is about ZTA badges that end up on Ebay. Any subsequent posts that have any arguing of any kind will be deleted.