French Sealing Wax Etiquette

“Chocolate Brown” is for dinner invitations – whether or not Caroline Bingley’s brother “will be dining elsewhere.”

The Parisian Sealing Wax Code

Paris stationers are selling boxes of colored sealing wax with instructions in the etiquette of the use of all of the different shades. Black is for mourning, White for marriage invitations or announcements, Violet for condolence, Chocolate for dinner invitations. Ox Blood, although that might be unsuitable for dinner notes, is for business. Young girls are to use Light Pink, and love letters are to be sealed with Ruby. They say that it’s the fashionable Parisians who use the colors according to this code. – Inyo Independent, 1910

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia