Other Kappa Jewelry

Pledge pins, recognition pins, charms, lavaliers, and anything else that isn’t a badge!

Antique New Member (Pledge) Pins

Two antique pledge pins, the oldest on the right

These little beauties bring back wonderful memories, don’t they?

Kappa’s earliest and unofficial pledge pins were made of a simple knot of grosgrain ribbon, much like the knots of blue and blue we all proudly pinned to our chests on bid day. We wore these ribbons until we received our official pledge pins.

The light blue sigma within the dark blue delta has been the official pledge pin since 1914. These earliest pins measured 3/8 of an inch. Today, the design of the pin remains unchanged except that silver became the specified metal in 1926. The “pledge pin” is now called the “new member pin”, it currently measures 1/2 inch, and it is no longer made of silver.

The oldest pin, on the right, measures 3/8 of an inch and has a barrel clasp.
The newer pin (exact vintage unknown) on the left measures 1/2 inch and has a push back.

As you can see, before our new member pins began being made in a standardized fashion by a fraternity jeweler, there was a great deal of variation over the years.

Our modern pins of today are sold only to Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters, are white enamel instead of silver, and are priced at a whopping $9.00. This does not stop sellers on eBay for trying to sell them for upwards of $35 or more. I wonder if you can hear me rolling my eyes? Vintage pins can go for anywhere from $50 to as high as $250. (Good grief!)

Learn more about our New Member Pins here: here:https://wiki.kkg.org/images/d/d6/NewMemberPin_Aug2009.pdf

Bracelet with Pledge Pin and Drop, early 1960’s

I don’t know much about this interesting piece other than that it was owned by a Kappa who attended Ole Miss, and the year given was 1963. I would be interested to know if this was the Kappa’s actual pledge pin and drop that was soldered on to the disk, or if it was some sort of reproduction, as pledge pins were not usually retained by the member in this way. More research is ongoing!

Sterling Salt Spoon Pin with Crest

Spoon pins became all the rage in fashion in the United States in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Magazine ads and articles noted that silver spoon pins were “a hit with the high school crowd” and that brides-to-be began presenting them as gifts to their bridesmaids, often with the date of the wedding engraved on the spoon. By 1950, every bride was encouraged to register her sterling flatware pattern with her favorite department store, where she would be given a sterling salt spoon in her favorite pattern. It is no surprise, then, that a fashionable Kappa of the 1940’s or 1950’s would proudly wear this sterling silver crest pin on her lapel.