Reader Collection – Vintage Wax Seals & Just So! with Denise Couling

Vintage Indie would like to welcome Denise Couling for our latest Reader Collection feature. Denise Couling is an attorney and the founder of Just So! , a jewelry design studio in Brighton, Michigan.  An avid collector of vintage wax seals, her collection makes for great eye candy. Denise has turned her love for these seals into an art form while creating jewelry from originals and her own designs.

(Click Images to Enlarge)

What made you start collecting vintage wax seals?

It really was my love of jewelry that led me to collect vintage wax
seals. I was hunting around for a special idea for an interchangeable
earring base I was designing.  I definitely wanted a timeless silver
“coin” look.  I found a vintage seal set with “portraits” of Roman gods
and then worked with a fine jeweler to create the finished project.
 Although that project moved me closer to seriously pursuing my
interest in jewelry design, the seals themselves just intrigued me.  My
husband, who is from England, has become almost as fascinated by
antique seals as I have and helps me look out for new seals and
research them.  I love how vintage seals can be very clever and they’re
not all sugary sweet—sometimes the motifs can be very funny or
irreverent.  I particularly love the fact that so many Victorian-era
wax seals specifically were designed to be worn as jewelry.  I think
seals are irresistible because they still are wonderful to use in
creative projects today.   

Above: 
British and French “wheel” seals.  The French one (top right)
is gilded, inset with stones and has a mother-of-pearl handle. 
The small individual seals have cute shapes:  one is in the shape
of a bird cage (bottom left), one is shaped as a basket of fruit and
the other is shaped like a bell.  These little seals
were worn as pendants or watch fobs.  (The necklace is one of my
own.  The charm is a 14K gold
“Forget-Me-Not” seal with a citrine briolette.) 

What is your favorite piece from your collection?

Probably because it makes me smile, the individual seal I like the most
depicts a wheat sheaf and says: “You Deserve Thrashing.” It takes
people by surprise, I suppose, because they often expect something
sentimental. I always love it when someone looks at that seal, reads it
and starts to chuckle.

 

Above:  The amethyst glass
seal reads “WHO THE [DEVIL] CAN THIS BE FROM?” and
the citrine-colored seal shows Cupid
catching a fox (on what looks like a leash).  It says
“I CATCH THE MOST CUNNING.” 
Sometimes, there’s no escaping love!

My very favorite wax seal set was this year’s Christmas present from my
husband.  It’s an amazing collection of faceted glass seals from
England from the 1800s, still in its original silk-lined leather box.
 A close second is a French seal set in sterling silver.  It is a true
work of art (with 26 beautiful seals in the handle).  It works
something like a Pez candy dispenser.  Every seal in these two sets is
a treasure.  They must have been prized possessions for their original
owners … and the seals were charming little messages and puzzles to
send to their friends.

What is missing from your collection, that you dream of owning?
 
For me, the most tempting seals have charming messages and were
designed to be worn as rings or pendants.  In Victorian times, wax
seals occupied a really interesting niche where correspondence and
writing instruments often converged with jewelry.  They sent a message
about the owner’s education, personality, family ties and even social
status.  I have seen some wonderful jeweled seals where a faceted
amethyst or citrine has been carved with a clever motif or family
crest.  I would love one of those, but I might have to settle for
seeing them in a museum or collector’s guide!

ABOVE:  My beautiful French
“Pez” seal.  The French phrase with the
bird flying out of the open cage (left) means,
“Whoever neglects me loses me.”   The center seal depicts
Aesop’s fable of how, after a lion showed mercy on a mouse, that mouse
one day saved the lion’s life. (I suppose today we’d call it
“karma.”)  I love the seal with the fairy flying by
the candle flame (right of center).  It says
“Illusion.” The seal at the far right refers to a poem by Lord
Byron, celebrating the lasting nature of
friendship.  This is such a sophisticated set, yet it is
every bit as charming as it is elegant.

What makes a great collection or collector?


I think collecting is great when it’s as much about sharing as
“owning.” Long before the gummed envelope existed, wax seals added real
charm and personality to a hand-written letter.  These were little
messages and puzzles that were intended to be shared among friends and
loved ones.  I am always fascinated by how relevant these vintage seals still
are today.   You instantly grasp their emotion and humor. When these
antique seals sit in a collector’s drawer, it’s a bit sad. So, I think
the ability to transform these tiny treasures into something that
others can enjoy today is my privilege.  It’s my way of not only
enjoying the process of collecting but of breathing new life into them.
 

Above: A beautiful seal with a cherub
and a lion became on charm on this collection of Pearl, gemstone and sterling chain
necklaces.

We would like to thank Denise for sharing her extensive collection with us. We encourage you to head over to Just So! She offers a beautiful bridal collection as well as many other wax seal styled jewelry.