Sorority/Fraternity Pin? Looks and feels like 10K....

[CZconnoisseur]

Got this old pin today but I haven't seen any online info about it anywhere. Don't see any markings except "1677" and "3I" (maybe 31?) and "L.B.Sutherland" on the back. The front shows the letters "EX" and "Colorado". I know many people like to engrave the date they were accepted into the fraternity/sorority with their name, but I'm stumped. Looks like a garnet inset and the engraving looks

Found it at an old local college dating back to the 1870s. Any ideas?

 

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[Subterranean]

Kind of looks like a very fancy, personalized watch winder, maybe to go with a gold retirement watch? Sub

 

[Dakota Sioux]

Its a Chi Epsilon Key. Civil Engineering Honor Society founded in 1922. Yours looks to be a Colorado chapter 1931 date belonging to Mr Sutherland.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

probably brass like this one

 

[CZconnoisseur]

Wow thank you Dakota Sioux! That's a perfect match except mine is definitely not brass - it came out of the ground golden as can be. The loop portion was drilled off-center, but the metal is uniform in appearance through and through. If you could weigh the California key that would help determine composition. Mine weighed 2.7grams

 

[Dakota Sioux]

I do not know the weight of the brass one. There is one on ebay that the seller says is gold (not marked) and weight was approximately 2.6 grams so looks good.