Symbols and Colors

Although white was the color favored in the early days of our Sorority, maroon and lavender have been the official colors of Sigma Kappa Sorority since 1891.

The wild purple violet is our official flower. These delicate flowers grew wild along the banks of the Messalonskee River in Waterville, Maine, where our Sorority was first established in 1874. The violet was adopted as our Sorority's flower in 1892, and was modified to the wild purple violet in 2008.

At the national convention in 1984, the dove was adopted as one of our Sorority's official symbols. Our other symbol, the heart, wasn't adopted until four years later at the 1988 convention. Both of these symbols represent the love felt by our members across the country both for our Sorority and our fellow sisters.

The pearl is our official jewel and was adopted as such in 1915 at the national convention. This was also the year that jeweled badges were approved for members to wear.

Our coat-of-arms reflects the symbols of our Sorority - the dove, the violet, the Greek letters, and the colors, maroon and lavender. It was adopted in 1911 and consists of a maroon shield, above which sits a dove with outspread wings and an arch of golden rays. Below the shield is a scroll bearing our open motto, One Heart One Way, and the date 1874. The significance of the coat-of-arms is revealed only during the ceremony of Initiation.

The triangle badge, worn by initiated members, was adopted for that purpose in 1894. Before that time, the pin now worn by new members, served as the Sorority's badge.

The new member pin was the earliest badge design. It consists of a serpent shaped like the Greek letter Sigma intertwining through a letter K. The design was adopted as the new member pin in 1920.

Both of these badges are worn over the heart to signify membership in our Sorority and are to be worn above all other fraternity jewelry, whether honorary, professional, or social.