the basics What is a monogram? A monogram tells a story. It suggests who we are or want to be, puts forth our views on marriage, tradition, and individual identity not to mention the wonderful things it does for glassware. A monogram consists of a person's initials — usually a variation on the first, middle, and last name and much has been written about proper monogram etiquette. To help you get started, we've provided traditional guidelines to monogramming along with a healthy serving of non-traditional ones (called 'PermanentEtch says'), so you can make your own monogram tell a story about you.