It started in 2015 at IKKiCon. There was a vendor selling wax seals and stamps. I don’t really know why I picked it up, but I was drawn in by the deal that let me bring home with me a pouch of black wax and a Tudor rose seal. I was asked then if I had all that I needed to get started: I lied and went on with my purchase.
That seal and wax sat untouched for 4 years.
It actually took me diving too deeply into the lore and world of Game of Thrones that made me look at the seal again. That, however, requires some back story. A close friend of mine said that if I were to watch the show (which I ignored mostly due to its racism and sexualized violence and misogyny) that I would likely side with House Tyrell. And after much research at Olenna and her granddaughters and the proud house of mostly terse but strong and loving women: my friend was correct. The symbol for House Tyrell is a Tudor rose and after making a connection to the flower that has followed my studies and passions unto the seal that sat unused in my apartment.
Wax sealing is an ancient art that is using wax and a die-cut stamp to close letters, parchments and envelopes and it has continued for centuries through calligraphy circles and the like. Equal parts security measure and flex upon thy haters, your seal and its design can tell a lot about a person including status, wealth, family name and title. Typically, your seal acts as your signature and sealing off a letter with your stamp means that this is something official.
It took a birthday present to become active in the world of wax sealing. I had a Slytherin wax sealing kit on my wish list and got it as a present. Eager to use it, I set to work adding my proud House crest to birthday cards and other pieces of mailed correspondence. It would take another few weeks for me to get my first spoon (a little spoon that lets you take loose beads of wax and melt them for a precise pour) and I could finally use the black wax and Tudor rose that felt so perfectly emblematic of who I am.
Over the last year or two, my collection of wax seals, wax and other accessories has grown into a collection I’m proud of. I have a furnace now (a little oven that holds a tealight and your spoon so wax melts evenly and without having to hold the spoon over an open flame), 2 spoons, 6 different wax colors and 4 seals; each seal an excellent little slice of my personality: a sakura blossom, a Tudor rose, a filigree A and the Slytherin House crest.
Getting into wax sealing helped bring out something in me that I have come to immensely treasure and value. I love sending letters and writing out cards. I love mail. I love being able to send out a letter and know it’ll brighten someone’s day and I love getting anything in my mailbox that isn’t a damn bill.
There’s just something about that personalized little touch that a wax seal ends and being able to blend my nerdy side and the Southern belle in me.
