HOW DOES A CREST FIT INTO A COAT OF ARMS?

The public many times refers to a coat-of-arms simply as a crest.  But, in heraldry, a crest is just one part of the complete achievement of arms.  The crest is placed on top of the helmet, which then sits on the shield or escutcheon—the most recognizable part of the coat of arms. When there is not enough space to show the entire coat-of-arms, the crest can be used by itself.  However, if the shield is used alone, it shouldn’t be called a “crest, and there is also no such things as a family crest.

Motto: A motto is a saying a family has about itself and is mostly found in the British Isles. There may also be a motto beneath the shield, alternatively the country of origin is found in this place. There may be mantling or supporters that hold up the shield. 

TINCTURES   (Back to Introduction to Heraldry)

The rule of tincture is the primary rule in heraldry.

Metal, or bright tinctures, should not be placed upon metal; color, or dark tinctures, should not be placed upon color just for the sake of contrast, except where this cannot be avoided.

An example would be where a charge overlays a partition of a field.

As with any rule, there are exceptions.  A famous exception was for Godfrey of Bouillon, who was made King of Jerusalem.  His arms included five gold or yellow crosses on a silver or white field.  Some say this design was modeled from the Damascus steel technique that the Arabs used.

METALS, COLORS AND PATTERNS 

The names used in English blazon for the metals and colors are taken mainly from the French, as this chart shows:

Other colors are sometimes used for special purposes.

Certain patterns called furs are also found on arms.  They are defined as tinctures, not patterns.

The two primary furs are ermine and vair.  Each one has rarer variations also.

Ermine represents the winter coat of the stoat.  A stoat is a small mammal also known as the short-tailed weasel.  It is white and has a black tail.  The fur used for heraldry has black spots with the white fur, which represents skins sewn together.

Vair represents a type of squirrel with a white belly and blue-gray back.  This is sewn together to show a pattern of blue and white shapes that alternate.

Many natural items and plants can be displayed and are known as proper charges.  These are frequently used on supporters and crests. 

For example, a tree proper is a brown trunk with green leaves by default.

Popular charges may include items such as the eagle, cross, or lion.

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