1774-1775 ca. Gold Etui For Sealing Wax, French. via suzilove.com and Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org

A seal was pressed into the hot wax at the back of a letter or document. Seals were kept on a desk, in a traveling Necessaire or Etui of writing implements or were hung from a gentleman’s waist on a fob, sometimes hanging with a watch or small coin purse.

As many letters and documents were written, it was often necessary for a person in a prominent position to have many seals on his desk. A gentleman might have a seal for his peerage or position eg Duke of Stafford and could also have one for his more personal correspondence with his initials. If he was working in some sort of government position, he might have one denoting his public position or that the correspondence was sent for His Majesty’s government. 

These seals were therefore seen often and became a decorative item for desks, the more elaborate the better in terms fo flaunting one’s affluence and influence. Wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries was usually displayed where everyone could see it and this included the essential items on a desk. Seals were therefore made of a wide range of precious metals and stones and decorated with jewels, gold, and silver. They became works of art in their own right, especially any made in St. Petersburg, Russia, by the Faberge craftsmen.