Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Yes, appears to be. Pieces like this present me with a dilemma: I love cameos with unusual images like this; on the other hand, some of the carving is very sketchy (although love that she appears to have a navel) & setting really has little or no value. Will look better clean. Would love to have it, & have been known to pay a bit (occasionally a lot) too much if the subject of a cameo is of special interest, but how much is the right price not to be overpaying by too much? I already had it on my watch list, but many days to go yet & already getting a bit pricey.

 

Hello,
All very nice cameos. I purchased one several months ago, a necklace and a ring, and was wondering if it could be dated. this piece is in 10K solid gold, and it was mentioned when I purchased I, that it was likely mid 19th century. The ring and necklace are not a set, with the ring far more worn than the necklace.
Thanks in advance for any information you might have on this piece.
Bill

 

Welcome, antiquity. The necklace appears to be stamped brass; the cameos in it are cut in helmet shell in a style that was popular in the 1920s/30s.

I'm assuming it is the ring that is the 'this piece' that is 10K. The cameo has the appearance of 'hardstone', just the term used in the field for any of the chalcedony based stones, such as the banded agate used for many stone cameos. When the background layer is black, it has been dyed to that color, a very common (& ancient) practice.

However, well made glass cameos can be found in low karat gold. It would take more & better photos for me to make an informed guess. If I had it in my hand, I would closely examine the line where the figure meets the ground, checking to see if I could catch a fingernail under it, since glass cameos are made from two pieces. See this article for tips on this:

https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/materials-guide?showall=&start=2

Looks as though she has suffered the traumatic rhinoplasty so frequently seen on cameo ring stones, both stone and glass.

Cameos of this general type - I think of them as noblewomen - seem to have appeared in the late 1800s & are still being cut in the Idar-Oberstein region of Germany, so it is difficult to date the ring based on a single photo of the face. A photo of the shank may get us a bit farther. If it is marked '10K', think that immediately puts it to 20th century US. Afraid neither necklace nor ring is plausibly placed to the mid-19th century.

 

Thank you for your insight Bronwen,
After I had received these pieces, I took them to a gemologist who ascertained that the cameos were in fact carved shell, and the necklace was acid tested to be 10k gold. The ring I had a previous appraisal with it, that was certified to be 10k gold also.
I did ask for any information on these pieces and I thank you for your comments, understanding of course the person I took them to, actually had them in hand , and under magnification, so I know that makes a tremendous difference.
What I was really after was to try and date them.
Again, I thank you for the comments, and I myself will now be better acquainted to look and discern a real one from a reproduction.
Thanks,
Bill

 

It may be the lighting, but I find it difficult to believe the necklace is solid gold. Gilt brass was commonly used for such pieces. Whether you are planning to sell it or hand it down as a family heirloom, I suggest you have it tested again, by someone else.

Don't fall into the error of thinking that if the cameos are actually cut in real shell they must be valuable. How well they were cut is much more important.

One of the surest ways to get a lot of misinformation about cameos, delivered with complete confidence, is to have them assessed by someone with 'GIA' after their name.

 

Hi Bronwen,
Thank you again for the great advice, and I will have it checked out again as you suggest.
Bill

 

We would still need to see the shoulders of the ring to form an opinion on the age.

 

HA!!!!! You have LOVELY taste!!!! VERY hard to see image tho.....almost missed it!

 

Thank you. Wish I had the funds to support it. Seller has it in hand, so no excuse there for seeing Nike.

 

10K Yellow Gold Shell Cameo Brooch Pin W/Appraisal





Mr. Denney, who has all those letters after his name and is a GIA graduate, does not recognize coral when it is right in front of him.

The SRP is absurd, even if he had correctly identified the material as coral; pure fantasy for shell.

Hope they didn't pay too much for this expert opinion.

 

They didn't. All their jewellery comes with an appraisal from Mr. Denney, so seller is own 'evaluator'. Really doesn't know coral when he sees it. Didn't even try for this one:

Estate 14K White Gold Filigree Cameo Ring Size 3.5 W/Appraisal



But he does know a cameo when he sees one.

 

Mr.Denny has a list of education,etc. but looks like he slept though the classes or GIA isn't what it used to be.... https://www.capitalappraise.com/

 

Brian Denney, FGA, ICGA, GG
Brian has been involved in personal property and estate appraisals for over 15 years. He was named the DETC Outstanding Graduate of the Gemological Institute of America in 2007. Brian has been involved in every level of the diamond and jewelry trade from manufacturing, wholesale, and retail markets. He served as a board member of the National Colored Diamond association in 2015 and is actively involved in the Springfield community.

Education & Certifications:

• Fellow of The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA)
  
  
• Graduate Gemologist, Gemological Institute of America (GG)
  
  
• Independent Certified Gemologist Appraiser, American Gem Society (ICGA)
  
  
• Diamond Practical Exam, Gemmological Association of Great Britain.
  
  
• DETC Outstanding Graduate – Gemological Institute of America - 2007
  
  
• Pseudoisochromatic Color Vision Screening – June 2017
  
  
• Bachelor of Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  

Affiliations & Awards:

• Gemmological Association of Great Britain, Fellow
  
  
• Outstanding Graduate Student - Gemological Institute of America
  
  
• Natural Colored Diamond Association, Past Board Member
  
  
• Accredited Gem Laboratory - American Gem Society
  
  
• HSHS Foundation Toast of the Town Committee
  
  
• American Business Club, Past Board Member
  
  
• Springfield Bicycle Club
  
  
• Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, Abraham Lincoln Council
  
  
• Council Board Member, Boy Scouts of America, Abraham Lincoln Council
  
  
• Team Waldo – founding member

I really expect better of an Eagle Scout.

 

I LOVE THAT SCARAB!!!! I'LL TAKE ONE!!!

 

Larger edition of what @kyratango posted!!! 2.9 cm x 2.3 cm...could use a good cleaning! And what on earth is that under the front legs of the centaur......can't be a leg & hoof....already has two in front.....is it part of a flowing scarf???? VERY awkwardly placed, IMHO!!!!

 

@SBSVC, OR, WHERE did you FIND THAT image.....I went looking all over for St. George cartoon images,.......NO luck!!!!!!!!

 

Yes, part of the scarf, although that groove near the end gives the impression of a hoof. I'm more bothered by the way her left arm holding the lyre somehow turns into another scarf. It's always too bad when a really interesting subject isn't very well cut.

 

@Bronwen, couple of questions 4 U!! If'n you don't mind? I suppose what ver. Windows (?) you're running doesn't really matter, but I have one of those Digital Microscopes, but mine ISN'T wireless......it does need some sort of Photo Editing software to work with, but it's FAIRLY easy. Will add image of mine in a bit....if you're curious....have had it a couple of years, but I don't use it that often.....it magnifies up to 500X!! When you mention "engraving along the truncation line" are you referring to the edge of the cameo and edge of frame???? Thanks!!

 

I have Windows 10. I have Corel PaintShopPro X9 for photo processing, which I only just know how to use. It has a ton of features that I have no idea what they do.

Think my USB microscope, which goes up to 400x, if I remember correctly, has been delivered. I ordered a small book through Amazon at the same time & tracking says it has been delivered too. The reason I'm not sure is because they have been stuffed into my locked mailbox in a way that the latch is blocked & I can't unlock it. Not the first time this has happened. Hopefully note taped to outside will have positive results tomorrow.

For heads and busts, where the neck/shoulders end is the truncation or truncation line. If a cameo is cut with high enough relief, there can be enough space here to engrave something in. This cameo has the cutter's name on the truncation. I had to rub cocoa in to read it:


GG Adams = George Gammon Adams. a British medal engraver and sculptor. The British Museum has a cameo self-portrait of him.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/resear...spx?assetId=815123001&objectId=63101&partId=1

They've been working on their on line collection site. At this moment it is unavailable. Maybe it will be back up when it becomes morning in England. Or maybe not. Looks like this:

 

Excellent....I think you'll like the microscope!! THANK YOU for that explanation too!!! I also have Corel PaintShopPro X9, along with Photoshop CS 6, (which they no longer will sell as a stand-alone!).....and don't know HALF of what PSP does either (but I love the picture frames in PSP X9)......they're both pretty big programs, and with so much to learn, I think you have to commit to one or the other!!!! Either that or 1. Be younger, or 2. Go Crazy!!!!!