Searching for the Mystery in Heraldic Jewelry Besides the cult about watches, mens want for jewelry has devolved. Only heraldic jewelry defends its privileges in the upper classes of society and retains an enigmatic, distinguished, masculine charisma. Lets look at the reasons for this. The Glory of a Coat of arms The coat of arms is a personal object and an expression of the social privileges of a person; a maens beyond simple language to show virtues, talents, achievements and ambitions of a person and to honor him at the same time. A display of vanity of course, but also a manifestation of humility, because human superiority is always also a reflection of the glory of god. In remembrance of the knights of the crusades: "Non nobis, non nobis Domine sed nomini tui ad gloriam." The Insigne Generis as Part of the Name The shield of nobility can not be bought or owned as an object. There has to be an inner legitimation, without it, it will be lost to the bearer. Arms are carried by a generous free man, who has spirit, valor and strength, who is led by the will to sincerity. The humble human in the etymological sense. The symbol stands by the name and reflects the "good name". The coat of arms represents the most important part of the name, the moral and spiritual value and it invites the bearer to stay true to himself and to his goals.

The Coat of Arms as Mystical Language The language of arms is born out of mysticism. It is the most creative, but the most difficult of them all, a subtle spiritual language, with its own syntax, grammar and spelling. Its jargon of symbolic pictures can not be encompassed by letters. It lays the ground for the diplomatic mission entrusted to the heralds. One could say, that they bring vibrations, composed of cosmic and metaphysical messages into reality. The Radiation of the Everlasting Matter Gold symbolizes reincarnation, the awakening of consciousness after the fall of the profane world. The indestructible metal stands for the center of spiritual being, for the freeing of the being from transistory existence to eternity. Gold symbolizes the sun, the sign of Leo, the god Apollo, the element of light-ether, the sanguine temperament, the talent of willpower and the sepiroth of beauty. Gold connect strongly to the earth because of its origins. It is said that in combination with precious stones, it enhances their radiation.

The Harmonization of an Aura through Precious Stones Precious stones, crystalline children of the light, freed by humans from the dark, have always carried the veil of enigma, of the supernatural as birthstones, amulets, talismans and mystical elements of mithra and crown. Heraldic stones of the quartz family especially are said to be harmonizing. Their wonderful, microcristalline morphology describes a chapter of the "Book of Nature". An inspirational special place is held by the blood jasper, the red inclusions of which appear as blood drops of Christ. The spiritual energy of the stone surely enhances the radiation of the inlayed coat of arms to the poise and nobility of its bearer. The artistically worked stone is vain. It loves to be admired from the heart, so it should be chosen with happy sympathy or received from a loved person.

Coat of Arms Jewelry Defends its Value. No other similar object of value rejects the influence of fashion or the inflationary character of mass production better. After the herald has created an unique motif or works from existing arms, the path of the miniature art piece is prescribed. By its unique composition it is meant for one special person. The stone families agate, chalcedony and jasper ar microcrystalline, grainy composites, which brak easily under torsion. The working of them is a challenge to the goldsmith. He will never beat the metal of a sealing ring, but always prepare them one by one in the correct size, fit them with a solid ground plate before fitting the stone into the setting and planing it for polishing. The stone cutters deliver a perfectly fitting stone, achieved with difficulty from the conglomerate, in the desired shape and of an exquisite strucure of mineral inclusions and colors of layers. The individual consistency of the gems and the unique motiv of the coat of arms require the ultimate in increased value, the craft of the gem engraver. Their introverted miniature art is only mastered by a few. In their quiet workshops they loose themselves in the fasciantion of their pieces and the profound aesthetic of the arms.

Haraldry and Society at the Millennium of their Relationship The big symbols, born from the spirit of knightdom, were perverted to allegories of pomp and to insignia of social privileges during feudalism. Has the last stage of degeneration now been reached? As company logo, trademarks or prestigious ornaments for consumers? An army of dilettantes occupy themselves with genealogy, create a naive patina and a fake copy of a misunderstood heraldry. They do not stand out in a society used to treating traditions destructively. This trend is enhanced just now by new political, economical and social pressures. But there is hope. The breakdown of traditional values could turn out to be a simple revision of the ranking order at the end of this slowdown, a compelling consequence of the matter orientation of our world. Actually many people are attempting to turn from the artificial life to lifstyles, a deep yearning for expanding consciousness, spirituality, social integration and finding ones self, especially in the high tradition of knightly heraldry. The Mission of the Herald 2007 Followers of heraldry will not change the world abruptly and certainly not its relationship to its creator. But we do have our calling, our craft and our god-given creativity. We create objects of value, which have substance beyond the surface usability and have an effect. As anyone the herald has to sell his achievement, but he gives the gift of a mystical cosmos. The values of knighthood as spiritual guides for people exposed to our material society. Through this mission the instilling of sense into heraldic jewelry and retaining an authentic life in the heraldic symbols is kept. True to their original roots and at the end of a process of remembrance, surely even in the consciousness of its holy dimension. CHARLES AUSTEN - Flag Herolds since 1938