Engraving Customization: Please enter the Name or Motto you wish engraved in the Banner. Maximum Letters:12. If you are ordering a Monogram or Initial Shield, please enter Initial(s) first and then the Name or Text, separated by a Slash- Ex.: AMG/Wiilliams. If you are selecting a shield that does not have a Monogram or an Initial style, please enter only your Banner text.
Optional: If you have your own Shield Design, please provide artwork (black and white/ colored art) and we will insert your own Shield. Additional fees may apply if the art is not suitable for engraving.
Proofs: You will receive a free proof of your layout for your approval before we proceed with your order. If you do not like the combination, we will provide one free alternate proof. Additional proofs will incur a $5 fee per proof.
More Details about the Elements of Family Crests:
The Helm and Mantle: Originally intended to shield the knight from the heat of the sun and to ward off rain, the mantle was a piece of cloth placed over the helmet, draping down the back to the base of the helm. The mantle is often embellished with the artistic coat of arms to give prominence to the arms and crest.
The helm or helmet is used to indicate the rank of the bearer of the arms from the gold full-faced helm of royalty to the steel helmet with closed visor of a gentleman. By the end of the 13th century many nobles and knights had adopted a secondary hereditary device called a crest. Most commonly made of feathers, leather, or wood, the crest was used to help distinguish the helm, similar to the device on the shield.
The Shield: The escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms is known as the shield. This comes from the fact that in medieval times the shield borne on the arm of a knight was ornamented with various devices in order to identify him to his friends in the midst of battle. Also known as a heater, the shield displays the unique colors and charges (lions, designs, etc. that appear on the shield) that. Shield shapes may vary according to their geographical origin as well as the time period.
The Motto or Name: Not officially granted with a coat of arms, mottos are a phrase which incorporates the basic philosophy of the family or an ancient war cry. They may or may not be present on an individual coat of arms, and are normally placed below the shield and can be supplanted with the Family Name.
