Research on Shield and Crest

Shield And Crest research is better because…..

I was only thirteen when I read my first heraldry book, it was called “Shield And Crest” and it opened up an entire world of amazing history and legend. My heraldry research continues today, the subject constantly presents objects and stories hitherto unknown. When I began my heraldic artist life I was presented with vast forms of written stuff that appeared senseless at the time. For example, the coat of arms (family crest) for Diez, from Paramo, is recorded in the reference book “Repertorio de Blasones de la Comunidad Hispanica” is the usual written form “ En sinople, cinco fajas ondeadas de plata, resaltadas todas ellas de una espada de oro puesta en banda”. It’s a fairly simple coat of arms (family crest) consisting of a green shield with five fesses ( horizontal stripes) in silver (white) and on top of these we have a gold (yellow) sword placed with it’s point in the top left part of the shield, and it’s hilt in the bottom right.

Most people expect to find a reference book with a nice illustration of the coat of arms (family crest) but these are not the usual way that arms are recorded. While the wording may appear odd to those who have not studied the language of blazonry, it is, in fact, the perfect way to record a coat of arms (family crest) as it is very exact in the placement and colors used in each arms. The research work is further complicated by the use of different European languages in reference works from each country. The ability to reproduce EXACTLY what is written is paramount in heraldry.

There isn’t a day in our work at www.shieldandcrest that we don’t come across an error in some image found online by a customer who wanted “that” arms because he or she saw it on their computer and assumed it was the correct one. We always encourage potential customers to give us as much information as they can so we can locate the coat of arms (family crest) most appropriate. Call us anytime at Toll-Free (866) 289-2798 or e-mail us at shieldandcrest@gmail.com  we have the experience, and the reference books, to get the job done right.

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