Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Fairy and bunny tale!

 

Meanwhile:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/264752509079

 

This came from the UK & for some Age of Coronavirus reason, made its first US stop in LA & had to get through customs there. Took a while, but here's the new Schmoll:

 

Head scratcher of the day. Why would any jeweller do this?

 

Because they could? Someone bought it, so that's probably why.

 

If you bought that for me as a gift, I would definitely think less of you.

 

Or this?

 

Not surprised to see it is Italian. At least the cameo is pretty & competent & doesn't have a huge rock squashing it. Could send it to kyratango to have the color scheme changed. She could do wonders with nail polish.

 

If I can, everybody can, with a toothpick!
Bronwen!

 

It would have to be seen as expressionist art if I tried to do it. My hands shake. The more I need to control them for small, precise movements, such as threading a needle, the worse it is. When I finally put polish on my toenails so I could wear sandals without being offensive, I was lucky not to get it all over my toes.

 

@kyratango This one sold in the last few days for $115:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/823657..._sold_out_detail=1&ref=anchored_listing&frs=1

 

Shell cameo with swirls on the back
Though the price wasn’t totally right for a genuine beautiful figure cameo

 

Whenever someone has one of these for many hundreds of dollars, & I feel compelled to correct them, I always try to sweeten the news by telling them they still get approx $100 even when buyer knows it is resin. So, this one not out of line. It's that compact...

 

My

 

Not affiliated to either of these sellers. Was looking for some pens and came across these Cameos

https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/six-shell-cameos-and-two-others_C964C63A3D/

The lady with the grapes in her hair on extreme left caught my eye. Also those 2 set in black stone? is it jet or onyx.
https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/thirteen-miniature-shell-cameos_1D14CB8B7B/

Rather expensive for broken cameo? is it why there are no bids
https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/an-interesting-collection-of-fragments-of-shell-c_8914F78B77/

 

The cameos in the first group are all good to very good work & all but one appear to have no damage. The one that does has probably been filed down to be less jagged. You would get a mix of helmet shell, conch shell & lava. Did not spot any signatures.

The second lot is not worth having except, as you rightly note, the bacchante on the left, who is excellent. The black frames are jet.

Forget the last lot. No broken masterpieces there.

Now my rant. If these all came from the same consignor, either they've been removing the cameos from their settings for the value of the metal or buying from others who do. Maybe has a friend in the scrapping business. That last lot is like a graveyard.

 

Poor things! I normally wouldn't like cameos used in a craft project, but this group might be an exception.

 

There are perhaps a handful that would have been fairly nice when they were intact. And there's an unusual subject on the scallop shell shaped fragment in the second row over on the left. Looks like a modern young woman leaning out of a window.

 

Do you have one of these around?

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/53528160_antique-french-amber-trinket-box


Bidding started at $100 & it sold for $275

Prices for these boxes on eBay at the moment range from $150 to $225, & one being auctioned with an opening bid of $20. The world has indeed gone crazy.