My Badge Was Stolen
 

My apartment was burglarized a few weeks ago. They didn't get much in monetary value, but they did take some small jewelry items with much sentimental value, including my Tri Delta badge. I had also rescued a vintage Tri Delta badge online (paid for with Christmas gift money from my parents), and of course that's gone now too.

I'm over the shock of the burglary and feel more angry than violated (how dare someone come into my home and go through and help themselves to my things??!!), but I'm just heartsick over losing the badges. It makes me just sick to think those items might end up for sale online somewhere or in a pawn shop or flea market. The police were especially interested in my description of the badge, since it has my name and initials. Presumably because it's helpful identifying info maybe? And I e-mailed the detective a picture of what they look like (unfortunately the other vintage badge I rescued didn't have markings on the back).

I already obtained the paperwork from Tri Delta to order a replacement badge, and hope to do that soon, but I still long for the stolen badges. Can anyone else relate? If you lost your original badge and then got a replacement, did it feel the same? Did it have less meaning because it wasn't your original badge?

Or...did your initials or member number or other markings on it help reunite it with you? I feel kind of guilty too that my badge is now just "out there" instead of with me. My badges are/were so meaningful and precious to me, and I could never understand how a badge ends up for sale online or elsewhere (was it stolen? did its owner die? did the original owner sell it themselves?) and now mine are part of that sad situation.

Mine was stolen also....a white gold all diamond DG badge. They were no longer making the white gold all diamond so I got the yellow gold. Wasn't the same-still isn't but I do like it better now. I wear it in a disc on a chain these days.

I have purchased three ADPi badges from eBay over the years that ended up belonging to other sisters who were still living. One I reached out to and was able to get in touch with her daughter and return it, one I'm still in the process of getting her information to send it back, and the last woman sent me a beautiful card in response to my letter saying that as long as I was a sister, I could keep it and think of her.

Keep checking ebay and shopgoodwill-I will keep an eye out as well!

Did the police give you any suggestions for notifying local jewelry stores to be on the look out? Do they think the burglary was "professional" -- IDK if most stolen badges get fenced through ebay, or melted down. I'm guessing a "pro" would know how to fence them with less chance of them being tracked back.

My daughter bought a vintage opal Pi Phi badge a couple years ago, which had been rescued on ebay by one of our Gamma Phi "Crescent Catchers." She offered it through the Crescent Catchers to anyone with a Pi Phi connection. My daughter worked with Fran Becque and they found out the member was still alive. My daughter called her and spoke to her husband. The member sold it herself, because it didn't really "mean anything to her anymore." That upset my daughter, but she feels like it's honored now. She and her lttle took turns wearing it her senior year.

That happened to one of my sisters. It's heartbreaking.

The same thing happened to me many years ago. Our brand new home was burglarized 2 days after we moved in :-( My whole jewelry box was stolen with my badge inside. It was a plain Theta badge, nothing unique, but it was special to me. I have since purchased several slightly fancier badges from ebay and they are special to me now.

I came to accept that although I loved my first badge, it is only a symbol of the support and sisterhood that I share with other Thetas. The badge is not the most important thing about my affiliation with Theta.

My original badge (gold with garnets and diamonds) was stolen and pawned out of state by a room mate's brother. The room mate was a member of another fraternity and the brother was a GDI. I've since replaced it with 3 badges, but that one badge was a birthday present from my mother.

I'm so sorry this happened to you, lake, and to you also, Titchou, thetalady, ARKTTKA, and jolene's sister.

I still have the badge with which I was initiated. It was one of the few pieces of jewelry I brought with me when I moved (rather abruptly) to a new city for a new job.

My wedding ring is another story. About a decade ago, I had it resized as I had lost some weight. I took it to a jeweler whom my parents trusted. When it was ready, my mother picked it up, took it home so that I could pick it up from her when I next visited - and then she lost my ring.

To her credit, she had the jeweler make me a new ring, at her expense. My husband lent his wedding ring to the jeweler (as our rings were a matched set) and the jeweler made a ring in my size using the design on my husband's ring.

My parents have since passed away. My husband and I went through their house very carefully, but the original ring never turned up.

Anyone who doesn't know the story would think the ring I'm currently wearing is the ring I got on our wedding day. But I know ... :(

Similarly, nothing can quite replace your first badge.

Thanks for all the replies. I too am sorry for what you lost or had taken from you. I get it, and it's comforting that others can understand it's not "just a pin".

I wanted to wear the second badge I got online as a pendant around my neck (like Titchou does - her stolen badge sounded gorgeous!) and wear my original badge on clothing as usual.

The police didn't give me any specific suggestions on how to find it, but they DID tell me if I saw it online or in a pawn shop to notify them right away and to NOT tell the person selling it. They said items tend to mysteriously disappear if the seller finds out they might be stolen, before the police can get involved. They also mentioned the person selling it isn't necessarily the person who stole it. It could be a friend with online access, etc.

I totally agree with thetalady that it's really just a symbol. In fact, I think Tri Delta's founder has a quote about it being a symbol. It's not the most important thing about my membership, but I still feel naked without it.

clemsongirl, I tried to send you a PM last night but your PM box is full!

Y'all caught the thief?

I cleared some space!

My other 2 room mates also discovered items missing after "brother" visited so we knew without a shadow of a doubt. He was the only stranger that spent the night or had access to all of our bedrooms at the condo. We kicked his brother out shortly thereafter.

I hope you had him arrested!

Thank you for this information as my mother's badge is exactly like yours. We'll want to make sure that it is cared for in the future.