In the annals of medieval craftsmanship, much attention is given to blacksmiths or leatherworkers, yet one particular and often overlooked trade thrived in those regions where bronze or iron was thin on (and in) the ground. Particularly with the disruption of trade routes following the fall of the Roman Empire, these artisans rose to prominence. They were the rubbersmiths, sometimes referred to as pinksmiths, masters of rubber and crafters of exquisite armor.

Most medieval settlements larger than a village boasted at least one rubbersmith. Typically they would share a forge with a blacksmith. Even in pre-Columbian times, raw latex was available to those willing to dedicate the labor, though harvesting was a back-breaking process requiring dozens of peasants to farm low-concentrate latex sap from fig trees and dandelions. This sap would then be concentrated by the rubbersmith into something usable and treated via various alchemical processes into a tough, flexible substance, which could then be poured and shaped into items. Often these would be bespoke armor pieces for knights or wealthy patrons, many of which still exist in royal armories around the world and are occasionally worn during ceremonial occasions.

Of course, rubber lacks steel's resistance to piercing thrusts, but skilled craftsmen would work in curving designs that deflected rather than halt a blow, and a well-constructed piece of latex armor was easily it's equal to steel. Additional thickness could also be added, which was most apparent in the chest piece that guarded the heart and lungs. With advancements in weaponry, this chest piece would become larger to compensate, more bulbous, even breastlike in appearance. Even as weapon and armor technology developed in the late medieval period, latex remained. As an underlayer and the first line of defense, it would continue to dictate the shape of the overlying gambeson, mail, and plate armor.

Due to the prohibitive cost of harvesting raw latex, the size of these breastplates would balloon to lavish proportions as symbols of wealth and status, with kings and Emperors boasting truly outrageous promontories.