How do you clean the engraved stone?

Use a soft toothbrush and warm soapy water. Scrub gently across the face of the matrix to dislodge dirt trapped in the recesses of the intaglio. Rinse the stone under a tap and dry it with a soft cloth. Do not soak the whole piece. Water can sometimes seep behind the stone and discolour the foil backing on certain mounts.

Can I use these for actual wax sealing?

Yes, they'll still work well with modern sealing wax. The hardstones take the heat and release easily from the cooled wax. Lightly oil the stone face before pressing it down. This stops the wax from sticking in the deeper cut lines of the engraving.

I found a cluster of these tied together on a ring and I was wondering why they would be grouped up like that?

That is quite standard practice. A gentleman often carried a large split ring holding several different matrices on his chain. He might use a formal crest for legal documents and a simpler initial for personal letters. Sometimes these clusters passed down through a family. Each generation added their own piece to the ring, creating a heavy bunch of seals that acted as a wearable archive.

What sort of chains did people actually wear these on back in the nineteenth century when they were wearing waistcoats every day?

They hung from an Albert chain, a specific type of heavy watch chain. One end attached to the pocket watch, and a central bar slipped through a waistcoat buttonhole to secure the arrangement. The antique fob seals dangled freely from a short extra drop chain near the bar. This kept them close to hand and allowed the wearer to show off the metal and hardstone work.

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Antique Fob Seals

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Antique fob seals are small, decorative pendants worn suspended from a pocket watch chain, featuring an engraved matrix base used to press a personal crest or motto into hot sealing wax on letters and documents.