Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Not mine, I came across it while browsing eBay. (Asking price $2500!)
I'm just wondering... does this represent anyone in particular?

 

A new one on me. He looks returned from a pilgrimage, although I don't know how the little basket fits in. For collecting scallop shells? St. James?

 

is that a
CACIOCAVALLO CHEESE..........?

 

Water bottle/gourd, I think.

 

I held off on this one for a long time but in the end thought I could rescue her, so submitted a lower offer and brought her here from Australia.

A Halloween Horror.... but follow along if you find cleaning oddly satisfying.


Extremely foul with what I could tell was some loss and a patch job.


Blackened 800 silver with the patch glob. I also spied an extremely faint signature in the original seller photo.


First pass with dish soap in water and a soft toothbrush. The white is possibly Byne's but I think it was more likely a residue from the glob, which I think is hardened wax.


Cleaned up the residue with a white rubber eraser cut to a detail accommodating sliver. I used a light touch with dental picks to encourage tougher debris out of crevices. Most satisfying, I used the picks to gently remove the glob that had covered up a leaf and all the shell past her nose. I leveled it out to the surface of the shell. She doesn't have any major surface cracks (the 2 you can see are on the back and not near this area) so I felt I could go this far.


Final result! I painted the surface of the wax glob with water-soluble watercolor so it blends to the shell color and is removable if need be (in the case of accidental over paint). I was prepared to have her turn out to not be as finely carved as I thought in my imagination under all that grime and who-knows-how-bad damage, but I'm so pleased with what I found. It was worth the effort I think.


I polished the silver and it sparkles now. I left the glob on back as I don't think it's worth it to remove it and it might actually be performing a bit of stabilization. It's also an interesting (to me) look at how someone might try an old repair. Now that the back is clean, you can clearly see the signature.



In the seller's photos I could really only make out the supposed downward flourish and first "letters" in front of that, so I thought it might be another "Silz" but now I can see the whole thing, it doesn't have his "S". I'm also not sure which way is up. The flurish/G has the strongest pressure so may be the beginning of the sig, even though it makes it "upside down" to the cameo. "Good"? "P_ _ lz"? No idea.

 

She is absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!

 

u brought her back to life .......... feather in your cap !!

 

Oh, I do, I do, as long as it's a cameo.

The one way up does look like 'Silz' in his decrepitude.

She's gaw-jus.

 

Thank you!!

Thank you! I'm starting to collect a whole portfolio of gross-to-great cameos. They're (so far) an addictive surprise reveal!

I have to stop myself buying just to clean. So satisfyinggg. Helps keep the cost down as well with sellers apparently thinking grime is the same as patina or something....

"Silz" WAS a man of many signatures... Always possible I guess!

Thank you!

 

If you wanted to see period-accurate Victorian jewelry, can I NOT recommend The Gilded Age?


The most wealthy woman in NYC wears mid-century headband girl in glass.

I spend more time mad about the jewelry on this show than I should. Lots of mid-century costume and no trying for a big budget hbo show. I know how this industry is, but it's not hard to look at period photos geez.

 

Oh no! They clearly didn't hire the right people for that series!!!!!

 

It had the colors they wanted to go with the costume. Authenticity went by the wayside.

 

I've recently become enamored with cameos, and my first purchase arrived in the mail today! I'm wondering if anyone has an idea of when this would date to? There are no markings but the seller said it tested as 10K (rose) gold. It was sold as a coral cameo (of Psyche, possibly?). I think it's absolutely gorgeous, and am just trying to get more information on it. Also, please let me know if you don't think it's real coral! The entire pendant is just under 1.5 inches.

 

Definitely real coral. You can tell by the patterning, but also the texture. Coral and shell have little striation patterns on them when you look close or through a jeweler's loupe. Yes Psyche from the little wing on her head. I can't tell gold from a photo, but it looks it. You can get a gold acid kit, a gold tester, or take it to a local jeweler to test if you are curious but coral is generally set in precious metals. Time period...others may chime in, but she looks late 1800s early 1900 to me.

Welcome to the group! I recommend reading this whole thread and the signature cameos thread if you want to get well and truly obsessed with cameos. It's better on-the-ground research than you'll find in a book. At least that was my experience when I started as you did.

 

It is real coral & it is Psyche. See Mirana has nipped in ahead of me with words of wisdom.

Just went to check on some of my own collection where I have a coral Diana & a coral Tyche/Cybele set somewhat similarly, except as brooches, so with the findings for clues to age. They are both early 20th century, going by hinges & clasps.

There is lots of great stuff that has come up in this thread over time. I always suggest just scrolling through to photos, then reading discussion. As with most threads around here, sometimes we get off the track.

 

Thank you! The pendant looks much more gold in real life. The photos make it look silver but I think that is just my poor photography skills and the lighting. I have already started reading this thread and it has been so helpful!

 

When you're ready for the graduate course:

Cameo Signature Help Needed

 

I have long noticed it goes both ways: in photos, gold looking silver & silver looking gold. I just use my camera in idiot mode, don't know how to correct for deceptive lighting.

 

I've just purchased another cameo! I can already tell this is going to become a collection. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm wondering if anyone knows what is going on in the back? There seems to be an extra piece of metal extending down behind the pin. At first I thought it might be remnants of a hatpin, but the cameo is 2" which feels a bit large for a hatpin. I also wonder if maybe it is meant to string a ribbon through it for a choker? Has anyone seen something like this before?

 

I think it used to be double-sided and could be spun so either side faced forward. Often the double-sided pieces had a cameo on one side and a glass area for a loved one's hair or photo on the other side.
(BTW, the clasp on yours looks like a replacement.)
Something like this: