Legacy Commission: A Crest for the Modern Clan

It began not with a client brief, but with a feeling.

A quiet ache, the kind that surfaces during times of transition.
As Chinese New Year approached — a season of reunion and shared laughter — I was preparing to leave Singapore for two years. The thought of parting from my family weighed more than I expected.

So, on my birthday, I decided to create something for them. Not a gift in the usual sense, but a legacy — something they could wear, carry, and remember. A reminder of where we’ve come from, and what holds us together no matter the distance.

As a fourth- or fifth-generation descendant of immigrants, I’ve often admired families with long-standing crests — visual testaments to heritage, lineage, and belonging. I wanted to give that to mine.

But not in the traditional, inherited sense. I wanted to build one. One rooted not in titles or castles, but in love, resilience, and the values we share.

A Crest for Now

Family has always been the heart of everything — especially in the Chinese tradition, where togetherness, lineage, and shared meals speak louder than words. For this commission, seven rings were created for seven family members — a gesture of unity and remembrance as one member prepared to leave the country for two years. It became a birthday gift not just to oneself, but to one’s entire house.

Born from a desire to create something lasting — something a future generation could hold and trace — the idea was simple: if we don’t have a crest, we will build one. One rooted not in medieval nobility, but in modern heritage. Not a relic of colonial ancestry, but a reflection of who we are today: Chinese descendants of immigrants in a post-colonial Singapore, straddling tradition and adaptation.

A Crest for Always

This coat of arms is a study in fusion: a modern family crest with an Eastern heart, bound together with symbols of strength, harmony, and fortune.

Colors steeped in meaning:
Red for joy and celebration. Gold for prosperity and longevity. Silver for purity. Blue for hope, immortality, and forward movement.
The Everlasting Flower (Crest):
Replacing knights and lions with resilience, this flower — known for blooming in harsh conditions — represents quiet strength and grace under pressure. It’s found in many parts of the world, echoing the family's global dispersion.
The Lotus Mandala (Compartment):
Symbol of awakening and the journey inward. A daily reminder to rise above and seek clarity amid chaos.
The Mantle of Auspicious Clouds:
In place of European flourishes, we chose swirling clouds — common in Asian art — representing blessings from above. Ginkgo leaves support the crest, symbolizing longevity, resilience, and the harmony we seek between old and new.
The Shield:
- A Rising Sun for new beginnings, strength, and quiet triumph — to rise again and again.
- Eight Stars guide and illuminate, pointing toward excellence, navigation, and the pursuit of knowledge.
- Four Flowers — orchid, cherry blossom, hibiscus, peony — form a circle like a Chinese coin: grace, abundance, courage, and honor, placed at each corner like guardians of the seasons.
Hidden Symbols:
- Chinese coins for protection and prosperity.
- Eternal and Ruyi knots as wishes for peace of mind, clarity, and blessings that endure.
- All elements arranged symmetrically to bring balance, beauty, and harmony to those who wear it.