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  #1  
Old 09-10-2009, 05:21 PM
TheMightyPen TheMightyPen is offline
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Question Suggestions on managing our new Quills...

Dearest Sisters - I'd like your opinion. I've recently engaged in some brief discussions with some of the lovely National Fraternity staff members and our Herff-Jones representative. I was interested in learning whether I could return my crown pearl Quill to have the pearls replaced with one of the new Quill gem patterns that was approved at National Convention. At this point, it looks like it will be 1) not possible or 2) cost prohibited to do so. My dilemma is that I do NOT want a 2nd Quill! I heard from a close sister that there was some discussion at Convention that the cost of jeweled Quills was important to Sisters, and I'd like to discuss the following.

The price of gold is at an all-time high (over $1000 an ounce). Many jewelry companies buy gold from customers or allow trade-ins for new pieces. Most major high school and college jewelers such as Herff-Jones also have a trade-in/trade-up policy with their rings and jewelry. I'd like to throw this out there to see what you think. With all of the emotion surrounding our Quills appearing on the internet on sites such as Ebay, I feel it would make sense to allow Sisters to trade in their old Quills toward the purchase of a new one. This would reduce the number of "extra" Quills that are out there while providing Sisters with some financial assistance to obtain one of these beautiful new designs.

What do you think? If we get support for this idea, we could forward it along before the new Quill designs are released this week.

-TMP
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  #2  
Old 09-10-2009, 05:36 PM
AZ-AlphaXi AZ-AlphaXi is offline
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In addition to trading in a Quill ... you could also consider donating an old Quill to the college chapter of your choice to be used as an officer's pin.

So many of the new members don't have and have never seen a jeweled Quill, they are delighted to be permitted to wear one as a chapter officer.

Personally .. I have 6 that I've rescued from ebay, I've donated an additional 2 rescues to college chapters, plus mine, plus the pretty new one with sapphires I got at convention.
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Last edited by AZ-AlphaXi; 09-10-2009 at 05:39 PM.
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  #3  
Old 09-15-2009, 12:30 PM
TheMightyPen TheMightyPen is offline
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Thanks for your comments, AZ. Anyone else have any ideas????
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  #4  
Old 10-15-2013, 10:53 AM
WCUgirl WCUgirl is offline
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*bump*

I badly want one of the new sapphire/aquamarine quills. I emailed our badge company to inquire whether I could send my pearl one in and have them replaced with the colored stones, but this is considered altering an official badge, which is not allowed. Any word on whether there's been a movement toward a trade-in program?
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  #5  
Old 10-15-2013, 02:08 PM
DubaiSis DubaiSis is offline
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I think your choice is to keep the old one as a memento of college and buy the one you want or donate your quill to a chapter or to FHQ. But I wouldn't plan on making or saving any money on the old quill. I don't think the gold is super high quality, and the pearls are teensy weensy, so the value should be considered purely sentimental.

When I've traded in gold that included stones (I had a pearl necklace pendant set in gold), they took the gold but wouldn't take the pearl. They considered it as having no value. And that was a decent size pearl. As an aside, the Majorca pearl that was in the pendant was a FAKE!!! I only found out when I popped the stone out of the gold and the paint stuck to the gold, which was real. Ooops. But I'm sure those little seed pearls would get the same answer from a gold buyer, except that I really doubt our quills are solid 14 karat gold, which means they probably wouldn't want the quill anyway. If they can't melt it down, they won't take it.
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  #6  
Old 10-20-2013, 09:54 PM
CarolinaFuzzie CarolinaFuzzie is offline
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I have a question about the etiquette of these? I am awaiting initiation as an alumnae (and very honored BTW, my daughter is a sister) and while looking for a suitable gift for her own initiation (she wants an item of jewelry or a Lily tote perhaps) on eBay I saw several Quills. One was from 1929 and broke my heart to think someone sold their mother or grand's pin with pearls.

Is it poor form for a new AxiD to purchase one of these heirlooms to have a jeweled one and in essence, "rescue" it from just being sold to a collection? they are less expensive than buying directly but is this a faux paus to wear another's pin that was placed for sale? I felt like not only I might be able to afford a nice pin after *all* being less but more importantly, keeping it in the sisterhood. But is that frowned upon?
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  #7  
Old 10-20-2013, 10:57 PM
AZ-AlphaXi AZ-AlphaXi is offline
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First off .. congratulations .. how great will it be to be your daughter's sister!!

Now to your question. Go ahead and try to rescue the Quill there are currently several on ebay .. be careful and don't pay to much. I have several that I have rescued and wear.. including one from Alpha chapter from 1928.
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  #8  
Old 10-21-2013, 05:13 PM
DubaiSis DubaiSis is offline
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Keep in mind that your member number is on the back of your quill. I don't know that I'd diminish the historical value by having yours added, but maybe you want to have a cheapy that is precisely yours (or hers) in addition to the historical pin. That was the only record I had of my member number when I signed up on the website. Maybe not the BEST reason, but an actual reason nonetheless!
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  #9  
Old 10-21-2013, 05:20 PM
AZTheta AZTheta is offline
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*crash* remember that pins/badges are also bought for their gold content and are melted down. That's a fact, don't forget it. If you see a badge that you want, go for it!

DS, wouldn't your HQ have your member #? That's how I tracked mine down; they had to go into the bowels of thetadom and it took forever, but they were able to transcribe the hieroglyphics and send me my #.
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  #10  
Old 10-21-2013, 09:22 PM
DubaiSis DubaiSis is offline
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Well yes, they could have. And being that my number has only 5 digits (they are well into the 6's now) they probably would have had to dig awhile for mine as well. Like I said, it may not be a GOOD reason to have your own quill, but it is A reason

But I'm all for rescuing badges of all kinds if you are so inclined.
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  #11  
Old 10-21-2013, 10:32 PM
CarolinaFuzzie CarolinaFuzzie is offline
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Thank you for the replies and the welcome! I never thought I would ever be a sorority sister...our college had no Greek life and was a small Christian women's school. fast forward 25 years later and my daughter's friend wanted someone to attend rush with her. I highly encouraged her to at least TRY the process I never got to and to her surprise she liked 3 of the houses and was asked back at the very end to two. Alpha Xi was her top bid and her theirs which made her (and mom!) ecstatic. she'd never considered a sorority until her friend asked (her friend didn't get a bid but may try again next year we hope) and now she's so happy meeting girls she never knew before who she has had so much fun with.

She and her chapter asked me if I would join to help as a alum since they are still fairly new and I was beyond honored. I had heard a few bad things about sorority when I was in college but not one of the stereotypes so far I've seen was true of the sisters I saw interacting with my daughter. I'm proud she's an Alpha Xi and even more to join her! I hope I can help with corporate skills like resumes, interviewing skills, anything I can do for the girls graduating to help them in the business world as I have an excellent job and want to see them succeed. (I plan to ask in the other forum what I can do to help the chapter grow and to help the collegiates? can a non-college member help them grow or recruit really?)

Anyway, thank you for the insight, and I think I will get my own simple one to start but I hope to "rescue" one and cherish it for my daughter and her daughters one day too
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  #12  
Old 10-21-2013, 11:11 PM
DubaiSis DubaiSis is offline
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Once you are initiated, get involved with the alumnae group and/or corp board. You don't want to charge in like a bull in a china shop, but there will undoubtedly be ways for you to share your knowledge and support. As far as recruitment, they do need advisors to support the process (you can read up on RFM and fill in a few blanks about your role there) and to simply help with keeping the room (or house) cleaned and ready to go. There are other back room ways to help too, but no, you won't have any front line involvement with rushing.
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  #13  
Old 11-10-2013, 09:47 PM
CarolinaFuzzie CarolinaFuzzie is offline
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Just wanted to let everyone know I *was* able to rescue one while waiting to order my own. Our chapter won't get them until Spring semester but one came up on eBay with the pearls that was only $130 (10k gold) in full workable condition so I went ahead and bid on it to give it a new home. While I hope to get one of the sapphire and diamond ones when I can finally order, this will give me one to wear and maybe in turn give to my daughter to replace her plain gold one they already ordered. Or who knows, maybe it will go to our own little/grand "legacy" in another 20 years?
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  #14  
Old 11-10-2013, 10:17 PM
amanda6035 amanda6035 is offline
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Originally Posted by DubaiSis View Post
they probably would have had to dig awhile for mine as well.
For the record... technology is a fabulous thing. Search features on electronic databases that take less than 2 seconds to find hardly qualifies as digging. Believe it or not, FHQ is actually pretty awesome about not having to use just paper in filing cabinets these days....
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