E-mail and text messaging have all but obliterated the use of wax seals, a pity, in our view. Historically, wax seals were used to secure love letters, contracts, acts of war and wills. Butchers signed agreements with a seal bearing the image of a hog or cow, while royalty and the clergy pressed their signet ring into warm wax to signify their authority and power. The seals proved that a document hadn’t been tampered with, and that the document was indeed written by the sender.
The first seals were made with clay impressed with engraved cylinders or rings, but the use of wax seals didn’t begin until the Middle Ages when a writer simply dribbled the melted wax from a nearby candle onto a correspondence, and sealed the envelope with his signet ring. Official “state business” seals were most often attached to a document in a “pendent style.” The seal was applied to a cord, ribbon, or strip of parchment, and hung loose after being threaded through a hole or slot at the lower edge of the document.
Official seals were typically destroyed after the owner died to prevent forgeries after deal. When a Pope dies, for example, the Camerlengo’s first duty even now is to ceremonially destroy the Pope’s “Ring of the Fisherman” before all the cardinals. A new Fisherman ring is cast in gold for an incoming Pope.
These days, wax seals are regarded as a dated, if not quaint old tradition, but a lot of creative things can be done with a wax seal besides sealing an envelope. From holding ribbon in place on a gift, to making a pedigree look official, wax seals just seem to add class. For those among us who’d like to resurrect the practice, breed specific seals can be found on the Internet, but you can also have one custom made. It could be your dog’s name, your kennel name, the outline of your breed – your imagination is the only limit. We found one business that create a personalized wax seal stamp for about $28 – $40 (depending upon size). It might not be something one might buy for themselves, but it would make a dandy gift. There’s just something about pressing a hard design into warm, gooey wax……