Heraldic colors and metals and their meanings Part 2

July 09, 2026

The Primary Palette – Gules, Azure, and Vert Last time, we talked about the two metals of heraldry, gold and silver, and the special status they held above every other color on a shield. But metals were never meant to stand alone. They needed a backdrop, and that's where the real drama of a coat of arms comes in. Heraldic colors, or "tinctures" as the old heralds called them, are where a family's story really starts to take shape. Of...