Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

@Bronwen

Thank you!
I just hope that in hand, it might be easier to see what it is VS just looking at pictures (even before cleaning). I will definitely post some more close up pictures once it comes in the mail.

Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/941728385/antique-hardstone-cameo-brooch-with?click_key=c03a9bef250c3a73a4e17e65e37652919e518bb8:941728385&click_sum=d4dadd42&ref=rv_more-1-8

When comparing signatures, I think I am seeing the same kind of S or g shape. And the Etsy one has a "2" scratched on it, while mine has a "3". Maybe I am just seeing ghosts though

Here is another picture that I forgot to upload. It somewhat shows some kind of "glossiness" of the background:



What did you think of the hair area that I pointed out? Does that look like it was carved to you?

 

I googled "Arethusa" and found a lot of similar pictures of cameos and coins with the figure, some that also have the hair snood or the earrings + pearls. I am so excited that I may have found something that I thought was just another classical lady, but it is actually a depiction of someone

 

It looks deceptive to me. The accumulated grunge & the reflection make it difficult to know what's going on there.

 

And another cameo junkie is born.

 

Yeah the pictures are not working in its favor but I have hope. We will know more when I actually have it. Will keep you updated

 

The information you provide is very interesting. I will need to look Mary up. I can't imagine having 4 husbands and one of them being so horrible.

 

She just had 2: the fourth Earl Ferrers; Lord Campbell, fourth son of the Duke of Argyll.

The cast of characters:

 

Thanks! My eyes were playing tricks on me.

 

Another gent that is up for auction. In the auction description: Depicting a Lieutenant of the Iowa 3rd Regiment, US V.

Check out his collar as it is inscribed IOWA 3 USV.

 

Maybe 3rd regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry or Volunteer Cavalry? Both existed during the Civil War.

 

One of my ladies came in today freshly cleaned:
I love it

 

She looks great. I always worry when I give someone a buy suggestion that I am giving them a bum steer. My mind is at ease.

The way the white is so thin in areas that the dark background shows through a little is also something you might see with stone, but glass has to be made thicker than that not to break.

 

Haha, don't worry!
From what I've read in this forum, you seem to know a lot about cameos so I never doubted it

 

There is almost always a bit of a gamble in discerning stone from glass using photos alone, especially when seller is not knowledgeable enough to know what to show in photos to help buyers make a decision.

 

Yeah that is true, but I am not sure if I could 100% tell the difference in person either.
Once the other one comes in, what should I look out for? Like does it matter how it feels or the weight or anything? Or is it really hard to tell glass from stone all together? One good thing though, I now have a stone cameo so I can kind of compare them and see if the edges/carving marks look the same, but I will post close up pictures and again trust your judgement

 

On a side note to glass: I purchased these earrings a long while ago and the only way I could tell it was glass, was because of the tiny scratches and a small chip that glistened red in the sun. But I'm not sure how that would translate to a cameo.

 

There are times when I have not been 100% certain either.

Just tried an experiment to see if I was remembering correctly about this. Believe it or not, I can detect a difference when I apply the 'tooth test' to pieces that are stone & a piece that is glass. All feel equally smooth to a fingertip. They feel smooth to the teeth too, but there is an ever so faint graininess to the stone while the glass is absolutely slick. And I'm doing this with teeth that have been crowned; difference might be even more noticeable with natural teeth!

 

If I were evaluating the earrings from that pic alone, I would feel uncomfortable with the way the 'stone' looks around the edges.

 

Thank you Fig! I didn't know that.

 

She is very pretty. The curls in her hair are especially pretty. Nice find! And welcome to the cameo wormhole.