Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's permanently in there. I ordered the circle right after I becam an alum, and when I tried to set it myself, it wouldn't properly close and it was very crooked. I had to get the BurrPatt guys to do it for me in Chicago and re-attach my guard because the link broke off.

I have seen DPhiEs wear their badges as a necklace pendant, but without any sort of circle pendant device like OTW described. I didn't wear mine that way because it kept flipping over. I could never quite figure out how to do it properly.

I haven't seen anyone wear her badge attached to her boyfriend's in a long time.

I know that Theta has an option to have the badge attach to the ring. However, it's still detachable. My best friend's mom has one of these and on my friend's wedding day, I watched her mom detach the badge and give it to Amanda to wear on the inside of her dress as her "something borrowed." It may have also been her "something old" since I think it was actually Amanda's grandmother's but I'm not sure.

AOII alumnae can wear the badge as a ring or circle pendant (choice of either solid disk or open circle).

Our pendant isn't round, it's a larger diamond onto which the pin can be placed, permenantly or not. Our pins can be made into rings the same way.

For chapter guards, we have our chapter or our crest available, and just as of this summer, a stick somewhat like TriDelta's trident only with the chapter insignia on it.

I've seen guards and dangles go in and out of style, but when I was in school, it was considered rude not to get either. At the last Panhellenic Luncheon I went to, I saw an Alpha Phi who had her pin with a guard, and every dangle you can imagine on a separate link - you had to really look hard at it to see that it was a sorority pin. She said that she found that she got at least triple the wear out of it. I don't have a photo scanned, but it was something like this:

IVY <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> Guard
LEAF | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (each | represents a dangle)

(hope that works!)

Anyhow, it was truly amazing. The only question I had was that she wore it once (I've since this twice) on the lapel of her blazer - something we were never permitted to do. Is that okay in APhi? Or did she, as someone in our EO said once, use "alumna priviledge"?

My chapter guard has been replaced by my Arc of Epsilon Pi with diamonds. We have honors for alumnae who have given consecutive years of outstanding service and they attach to the badge in place of the chapter guard. They are progressive awards, so my first was the Arc of Epsilon Pi (5 years of service), then the Arc with diamonds (6 more years), then the Arc with diamonds (additional 6 years after that). I wear one dangle on my badge and that is called the Heart of Alpha Gamma Delta, which chapters (alumnae or collegiate) can give to alumnae who have done something special for the group. I did have officer dangles when I was a collegiate, but don't wear those now. My honors are more meaningful to me now.

All of the NPC organizations have rules stipulating that only initiated members may wear the badge. Is this rule not common with IFC organizations? Or is an exception made for significant others?

Many men will give their SOs their fraternity pins, hence "pinning" or "being pinned". Pinnings are usually a pretty big deal--we announced them with a fireside. Greek culture at the time when I was in school was the boyfriend would give his badge or give the girlfriend a "sweetheart's" version of the badge for her to wear.

I know that the significance of this is also similar when men will give women their letters on a pendant...again it boils down to campus Greek culture.

That's because you are such a star!! :) For our non Alpha Gam friends here, these honors are a really big deal and I really respect AGDee and all those that earn these!

Not talking to your group's policy, obviously :), we are allowed to wear our badge on our lapel (and as a necklace or ring) once we are granted Alum. status...and let me tell you, it was WIERD the first time I did it.

I am still debating if I would like to get that ring holder for my badge to wear once and a while...

Wow - I wish we could do that! If we could, I'd get a lot more wear out of my pin! I would so rather see a pin on a lapel than in a drawer.

I have a few pins I've rescued from ebay, and I have one on a pendant - there are always lots of comments when I wear it. Another pin, I plan to have made into a ring. It's one of the plainest version of our diamond; the ones with a lot of pearls or other stones would destroy any hose or other similar fabric.

ASA alums can wear the badge as a ring or pendant - I don't think we have the circle thingy for the pendant though.

OMG the lapel debate again!! Our chapter was always told to never ever ever wear the badge on a lapel, then I go to convention and see our national ritual chair with her pin on her lapel. I never thought of it being a collegian/alum thing - I thought it was that if you are going to keep the jacket on, you can wear it on your lapel. I still don't think I ever could though, too many years of "THOU SHALT NOT" behind me. ;)

I saw it awhile ago on BurrPatt's website, but it's since disappeared. It might have been something that they took upon themselves to do, and then National saw it and said nuh-uh.

From the HJGreek website for ASA:
http://www.hjgreek.com/assets/images...small/7110.jpg
http://www.hjgreek.com/assets/images...small/7139.jpg

Not a badge, but it's so gorgeous that it deserves to get posted:
http://www.hjgreek.com/assets/images...large/7022.jpg

I think that thing is a few thousand $$ when made in genuine diamonds, right?? I know I remember looking and it and drooling.