Featured Cameo Brooch

Not just the cameo world.
Sometimes it is best to use the word that is commonly used for a material, like 'lava'. But I see your dilemma, it poses the question of how to advise people to care for it properly. You need to know what the actual material is.

You are right, internet searches in different countries give different results. If you ever need another foreign research assistant, I'd be happy to help. I search in several languages, which also helps a lot.

Lately I've been doing most of my searches in German, for my modest Austro-Hungarian collection. They had beautiful marks, if only everyone had used them...

 

Thanks - expect to be tapped one of these days. I do sometimes specify I want results only in French, or only in Italian, or search, for example, using Maddalena instead of Magdalen. The flip side is that sometimes, when I want to find a particular result I have looked at before, it is no longer turning up in the top results, even though all else seems to be repeats. Some kinds of things I have learned may well be out there, but not until the 2nd or 3rd page of results.

The other material terminology free for all is the chalcedony, agate, carnelian, sard, sardonyx, onyx, nicolo one. The Classical Art Research Center at Oxford has been coming out with beautiful volumes documenting private collections of engraved gems, such as the Beverley Gems at Alnwick Castle, & have been pleased to note they are taking care to be accurate & consistent in their terminology.