Can a crest be emblazoned without a helm, or is that standard? Can they be displayed without a helm? or would they mean something different?

ElSteveo wrote:

Can a crest be emblazoned without a helm

Do you mean, can the arms and crest be emblazoned without a helm?  Yes. See http://www.heraldrysociety.us/presidents/index.php?page=Washington, for example.

Or do you mean, can the crest alone be emblazoned by itself without anything else?  Yes again.  Very common on seal rings, stationery, small personal items.  Traditionally, those who could afford it would use their crest on pieces of silver, like forks and spoons, that were too small for the full arms to be used.  Also horse harness, lots of other uses.  Again the Washington article gives historic examples.

Quote:

, or is that standard?

Styles and situations vary. In England and the US in the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was very common to emblazon arms even in the most formal settings without helmets. At other times a taste for medieval authenticity would hold that a crest couldn’t exist without—and shouldn’t be displayed without—a helm. There is no rule.

Quote:

Can they be displayed without a helm?

What would be the point of emblazoning them without a helm if they couldn’t be displayed that way?

Quote:

or would they mean something different?

No.