Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

I'd like to share my mother's cameo collection, or at least part of it. There's another box full somewhere. My favorite is the tiniest one with the swans.

 

Oh my -- What a group! Collected over years? Does (or did) she ever wear them?

 

Very nice collection, Migg!

 

Thank you! Yes, she collected slowly over the years. Most were souvenirs from traveling. She never could resist an antique store. She wore many, but only the ones she could wear on a chain. Mom is in the memory care unit of assisted living now. I wish we had written down where she bought each one.

 

Welcome, Migg.

Mine too. The black one in the upper left corner looks striking. She may be man made material, can't tell from here, but striking anyway. Diagonally down right from her is a very nice bacchante. In the bottom row, second from right, is a conch shell cameo I wouldn't mind seeing better. I like your mom. Sorry to hear she is ending her days without being able to enjoy/appreciate her pretty things.

 

I like the setting on the one dead center; she looks like she dates to 1910/1920. That filigree is nice. The swan has better carving, but I like the wirework.

 

I like her too. She is newer, but still in the neoclassical vein. Mount is probably 800 silver, made in Italy.

 

A bit of help, if you can.

This one was of interest to me specifically because of the scratches on the back. I’ve never gotten a cameo set into a jewelry piece but I like this one enough that I’m going to try and find a jeweler who will work with me. It looks like a signature and some extra marks but I can’t make head or tail of them. I think the carving is very pretty.

Can anyone take a stab at it? I know it’s a bit hard to see. Using a flash completely obliterated the writing.

 

Schmoll, signed in 2 places with his characteristic 'Silz' looking mark. If you go to the thread about cameo signatures, you'll see Jivvy is the hero of the story. Starting bottom of this page:

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cameo-signature-help-needed.38228/page-2

 

Jivvy came in clutch with that bit of sleuthing. I wonder if this is one of his later works?

 

Definitely. He seems to have signed everything that left his shop & the quality ranges widely. He finally got to where he could do some very good bacchantes & Floras. Have been saving photos of his pieces when I see them for 3-4 years & must have about 50 now, more than for any other signature. I already had photos of this one from a listing, but have added the ones you provided to my records as they are much better.

 

Was doing a bit of sorting of my photo files & came across this one. Not mine, but you have to smile:

 

Naughty Cupids!. Love it but my favourite is still the basket of babies.

 

Well, the ivory cameo I had looked at a while ago came home to live with me after all. The complication with ivory and what to do with it after I’ve gone on to the next great adventure are still to be resolved but if my girls decide it isn’t for them they could always chuck it into whatever Ikea pine box I end up in I suppose.

She’s been a bit of a surprise to explore. There are all kinds of small “crack” looking bits on her. I take it these are those schreger lines. None are as evident as the cross-hatched I’ve seen online. Bronwen was 100% correct that this is ivory nonetheless. As to which type of animal? Who knows.
She does have a great deal of 3D effects going on and I was happy at the luster of the overall brooch. The few bits of ivory I have are very very small and don’t shine like this does.

There is however a small flaw where a edge of the border has been lost. You can see it here on the bottom left. The spacing between the border decor isn’t exact either but a piece definitely got snapped off at some point.

Here is the back. The safety was added later by the look of it. Maybe after the incident that damaged the boarder? I don’t know if the addition is gold or brass.

And lastly, it looks like something was written on the back but the solder covered part of it. It looks like “812ben”?

 

It is undoubtedly elephant ivory. As far as I can determine, France was the source of these & Dieppe was the major ivory working center.

Like many older ivory pieces, this one has developed some fine cracks. The only place you may find Schreger lines on this one is at the truncation line, the surface where the neck cuts off. They are only visible in cross section; the piece overall has been worked with the grain & the cracks have developed in that direction. Schreger lines are more conspicuous toward the outer edge of a tusk, so you may not find any if this piece of material came from deeper in.

If you scroll through the examples in these boards, you will see that the fine cracks are fairly common:

https://www.pinterest.com/cameotimescom/ivory-cameos-reliefs/

 

Woah! It is a beauty! Such a 3D effect
I always buy antique well made ivory pieces, as a tribute to the magnificent elephants who died for that
As it is for keeping, I don't matter if it will be totally prohibited or not, just makes me sick to think these pieces would be destroyed at some time

 

I am always struck when these have an inexpensive pin back screwed on directly into the material, treating it no more preciously than jet, bog oak or gutta percha. Even all the workmanship does not get it the treatment of a valuable jewel. It's some comfort to realize how many pieces of this type could have been cut from a single tusk.

Nice that the vines & leaves crowning the head appear completely intact.

 

Thank you, I would be happy to share a closer look. I appreciate the interest in Mom's cameos!

 

In the group photo she looked slightly pink. Not conch shell, Celluloid or similar.

I'm rather fond of Celluloid & have a handful of pieces. Have shown this before, a favorite:



See in my photo files I also have this one:

 

Please take a look, I’d like opinions on what the middle of this one is.

The mount is 800 silver and marcasite. The stone was labeled as malachite and I have no reason to doubt that. The carving herself was not labeled as anything in particular.

Here is the back. Ballpark for age? I guessed 1920-30?

Here it is again under less lighting. Forgive the random fiber on her face.