Tincture refers to the metals, colors, and furs used in heraldry. In general, two metals, five colors, and two furs are used in the composition of coats of arms. Like any other area there are exceptions to these general expectations (other colors being used for instance). There is also the expectation that one metal will not be imposed on another, nor one color on another. Again, this rule is violated on occasion. However, the aforementioned colors, metals, and furs account for the vast majority of coats of arms. The metals involved are Or (gold) and Argent (silver). The colors are Gules (red), Azure (blue), Sable (Black), Vert (Green), and Purpure (purple). A table listing these elements is provided below for the English version of these tinctures. The same tinctures but with different names can be found in other heraldry traditions (France, Germany, etc.). You will notice that there is a column depicting the element (gold or whatever) in black and white as well as color. The black and white patterns were developed to convey the precise color, metal or fur in a common vernacular and to make the re-creation of a coat of arms a relatively simple matter.
