One of the benefits of having no heraldic authorities is of course that you may make adjustments to your arms as you see fit.
Pursuant to this, I have been considering a small addition to my arms. I’d like some opinions on it from an aesthetic point of view…
In case you are unfamiliar, here they are as they stand now:
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/5101/olivoahsl7yv.jpg
All I am thinking of doing is adding a possible bordure or perhaps a tressure of or.
Any opinions?
Well, I like your arms as is.
That being said…if you did decide to add either a border or a treasure, I’d go with a border. But, that is just me.
One of the disadvantages of having no heraldic authority is that people can keep tinkering with their arms (a good reason to go slow in choosing a design). I mean, just when the heralds taking notes of shields at the tournament get it down that the purple shield with all the crowns on it is Mark Olivo, he goes and changes it!
Seriously, I’d recommend you leave well enough alone. It’s a good, distinctive design and there’s no reason to clutter it up.
I would agree with Joe’s comment. Your CoA is clear and strong. Since the crowns are the only charge, they convey mystery… why do they appear ? why are they 10 ? why in such an uncommon position ?
So keep them and their mystery alive !
Nicolas
I also agree that you should leave them alone. Your arms are nice and simple, which is a good thing. I wouldn’t change a thing.
It’s your decision, but I also like and highly admire your arms as they are now. They have a simplicity that makes them appear very old.
Stuart wrote:
It’s your decision, but I also like and highly admire your arms as they are now. They have a simplicity that makes them appear very old.:D I’d keep them the way they are.
Take care,
Absolutely…do not change a thing. the arms as they are right now are very good.
Personally I agree with the rest of the posts so far—leave well enough alone. Adding a bordure or tressure suggests that the "new" you isn’t the same fine fellow whose unbordured/untressured arms we’ve become used to seeing.
Having said that, it is of course your call, not ours (more’s the pity! 8) charges to the bordure, which is what I did, but with your ten crowns already there IMO it might look a bit "busy."
Adding a tressure (single, double, or even triple - but the more, the busier) will not convey the same message as the bordure, and would therefore IMO be a better choice if you really feel you must add somethng but are not belatedly differencing as a second son etc.
Finally, do the refridgerator test again! Be sure to include your current arms as well as the possible alternative(s) you are considering. Take your time—maybe twice as long as the first time, assuming you went through this step when you designed the really nice, clean, simple arms you now bear. (Is my bias showing? If not, you’re not reading me!)
[FWIW, I went through a similar decision process years ago. In typical Scottish/Irish fashion, I based my assumed arms on an existing pattern used by several historic families of the same name (but unrelated to each other or to me), changing some of the less-critical colors for difference—making the antlers & bordure both blue rather than the original red or white antlers & red bordure. After a few years, I began to feel uneasy in that a B&W or seal of my new arms would be indistinguishable from the historic arms on which they were based. SO I toyed for probably close to a year with several variations, finally settling on adding either an orle of white stars, or an orle of white saltires, on the bordure. Either choice would likely have been +/- equally valid, as my umpty-great grandfather, Andrew, was a third son; & each had other symbolic meanings that seemed relevant.
I hadn’t invented (or plagiarized) the refridgerator test yet, but I certainly drew enough sketches of both designs to keep a small paper mill in operation. Finally, since at that time my father was still living & the arms would have pertained to him as well, I asked his preference. He asked about the symbolism, then picked the saltires—and I made that change.
So if there is really a good reason, not just a passing artistic whim or bearer’s remorse, by all means do what needs to be done—but take LOTS of time so you won’t have to do it again later, and even later yet again…your motto should not be "blazon in haste, repent at leisure" or even worse "Honk if you’ve been married to one of the Gabor sisters" (if you’re old enough to remember who they were!).
Alright guys, not to worry. I was just thinking out loud… I do that sometimes
In any event, thats for the kind words.