Fingerlooped Seal Tag

This seal tag was constructed for the elevation of Maistress Emmelyne de Marksbury to the Order of the Laurel. It was braided from double strands of silk that she reeled and dyed herself with brazilwood, and obtained by trickery.

I don’t have permission from the scribe to show the scroll, so I have just a photo of the Midrealm seal and the tag (and I’d like a better photo).

Now for my guilty admission: the braid I used is not from one of the medieval manuals. Instead, it’s the 9-loop braid described here. I tried very hard, but when I sat down with my samples and notes, the only braid that I liked and was certain that I could complete a sufficient length of without error was this one. Plus, it’s by far my favorite braid, and very pretty. That’s no excuse, I realize. Now, the 10-loop version of this braid would be very similar to those described in the medieval housebooks, but I can’t reliably work that one by myself.