No Family Crest? How to Design Your Own

Many people assume a crest is something you either inherit or go without. In truth, every coat of arms in history was designed by someone, for someone, at a particular moment. Yours can begin now.

A Common Myth: The Surname Crest

You may have seen websites selling "your family crest" by surname. In most heraldic traditions there is no such thing. A coat of arms belongs to one person at a time and passes down a particular line of descent, not to everyone who happens to share a name. Two families called Smith may have entirely different arms, or none at all.

So if your family has no recorded arms, you are in very good company, and free to create something that is genuinely yours.

Official Arms and Personal Crests

In some countries, coats of arms are formally granted. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that is the role of the College of Arms; in Scotland it is the Court of the Lord Lyon, where arms may only be used legally once they are recorded in the official register. If you are eligible, which depends on your nationality and where you live, you can petition the relevant authority for an official grant. It can make a wonderful family project.

Many countries have no heraldic authority at all, and many people simply want a personal emblem for a ring rather than a formal grant. In that case the golden rule is originality: design something new, and never copy another family's arms.

The Language of Heraldry

Heraldry has its own vocabulary, and knowing a little of it makes designing far easier.

The shield is the heart of any coat of arms and carries the main design. The crest, strictly speaking, is the emblem that sits above the helmet, resting on a twisted wreath of silk, though the word is now widely used for the whole design. Around them may sit a helmet, flowing mantling and a motto on a ribbon.

The colours are called tinctures. There are two metals, or (gold) and argent (silver), and five main colours: gules (red), azure (blue), vert (green), sable (black) and purpure (purple). The oldest guideline in heraldry, the rule of tincture, says a metal should not be placed on a metal, nor a colour on a colour. It is the reason so many coats of arms are striking from a distance.

The symbols placed on the shield are called charges: lions, eagles, stars, crosses, flowers, towers, ships, keys and books among them. Each can carry meaning, whether strength, faith, learning, a profession or a place, and the best designs use only one or two.

Designing Your Crest, Step by Step

Start with your story. Where does your family come from? What do you value? What have you built? A crest might draw on a hometown, a heritage, a profession, a faith or a passion the family shares.

Choose one or two symbols. A single strong charge is more memorable than many small ones. Look for symbols with personal meaning: a ship for a family of travellers, an olive branch for peace, a tower for a family that built something lasting.

Keep it simple enough for gold. A signet face is small, often less than two centimetres across, so every detail must read clearly at that scale. Bold shapes and clean lines engrave beautifully; tiny lettering and fine texture do not.

Think about colour, even in gold. A signet cannot show colour, so engravers use a system of lines and dots devised in the seventeenth century: dots for gold, vertical lines for red, horizontal lines for blue, and so on. Your crest keeps its full heraldic meaning, even in a single metal.

Add a motto, if you like. A few words in English, Latin or your family's own language. Our own crest carries the motto Ars Dominium Aeterna.

Let Us Design It With You

At Dominium, designing a crest is part of the service. We can research your name and heritage, or create an original symbol with you from scratch. You will see sketches and a proof first, and nothing is engraved until you approve it. The finished design is carved in relief on our Armorial Signet Ring in solid 18k gold, ready to begin a tradition of its own.

Have a symbol in mind already? Book a private consultation, or read more about personalisation at Dominium.