So I've been looking to buy a nice desk seal with my family coat of arms.

Ever heard of this place - Carl W. Lemke?

http://www.signetring.com/seal/seal.htm

I've got quotes from Dexter and am still shopping around for the best value.

Thanks in advance!

I ran across their site once when I was doing my own seal search. Nice, but for the quality and the price, I decided to bookmark Dexter's instead. The weak dollar plays quite a bit into my decision not to obtain a quality seal at this time, but, coincidentally, I did just today send off a message to one of my favorite artists asking for a seal design. I'll get my seal eventually, after I've saved a bit.

Are there any other American-made seals of good quality?

The quality and smooth three dimensional detail of the Dexter seals are the best I have seen - and a good order of magnitude above anything else I've found.

The Carl Lemke Desk Seal handles are the most ornate and thematic I have seen.

So I guess it's a choice between the quality of the seal itself and the ornate craftsmanship of the seal handle.

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Dexter signet ring with the cross burgee logo of my boat. Later, if I decide to add a desk seal, I might just buy a blank Lemke desk seal handle (the Fish Handle with Lapis) and send it to Dexter for carving - best of both worlds.

Let us know what you decide and post some photos of your new toy once it arrives.

What's the URL for Dexter's? Something nice like that might be interesting as a gift since my wife isn't much into jewelery. But, being Chinese, name stamps are part of her culture.

--John

http://www.familysealrings.com/index.html

Look at the smooth 3-D detail in the engraving and in the wax seals embossed with the engraved seals. Stunning.

(no affiliation, your mileage may vary, objects in this mirror...)