Tinctures

When designing arms, certain so-called colours, metals and furs are used. There are five principal colours (tinctures) - gules (red), azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). The Metals are - or (gold or yellow), argent (silver or white). The two most common furs are ermine (black on white), and vair (silver or white, and blue to represent grey squirrel). There are several other varieties of these two furs.

Metals

Colours

Furs

One of the rules of heraldry is that a metal shall not be placed on a metal, nor a colour on a colour, nor a fur on a fur. The reason for this is that a colour resting on a metal stands out more clearly than a colour on a colour or a metal on a metal. One of the few exceptions to this rule is found in the shield of the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem (gold crosses on a silver background). The reason for its exception is that this shield, because of its particularly sacred nature, should be distinctive in some way from any other.