Featured How to store cameos

Ok so I want to store my Cameos correctly, but I want to be able to see them. i was thinking i could put the in something like this (see picture) but i am worried now about them getting too hot and getting that Bynes disease thing.
I was just wondering
How do you all store yours?
And would this set up be ok? (if no can you suggest something else where i can still see them)

 

I only have a couple. I have them in a fabric lined jewelry box, not oak, aand not a tight fitting lid. @Bronwen will confirm this but I think some air circulation is a good thing for them

 

Air is good for all organic jewellery materials, pearls and coral too.

 

Can anyone show pictures of what is best? honestly I dont really understand what you mean by giving air circulation, ( should i drill holes in side in box?).

 

The air doesn't have to circulate, but the piece of jewellery has to 'breathe'. For instance a cardboard jewellery box is better than a plastic or metal one, a velvet pouch is better than a plastic bag, etc.

 

Byne's is caused by acid, and high humidity. So if you live somewhere with high humidity (like me ) then it will be more of a concern. Acid comes from wood, paper, cloth...organic materials. Humidity becomes an issue when ambient moisture in the air is trapped...and that happens when you keep things in a closed box that you don't open regularly, or that has no ventilation.

What I bought were vintage all-metal, glass and mirror jewelry boxes with sides that are a pierced, open work metal frame. Glass topped, so I could see in. It's not going to stop all the dust, but it is going to circulate air. You could maybe use an enclosed box and prop it slightly open.

Really, it depends on where you live and how frequently you may open your treasure box to look at things. I think most Byne's happens when grandma's jewelry doesn't come out of a box for years, or gets stored in an attic or basement. What I'm using is probably overkill, but I live in a swamp with 100% humidity so I'm a special, terrible case.

 

I don't live in a swamp, but I also put those silica bags that you get in vitamin pots in my jewellery boxes.

I should add, I hardly have any cameos, so I don't have to worry about Byne's. I do have a lot of coral and amber though, so I know about the general 'breathing' problem.

 

Silica is great, but it can only absorb so much and then they no longer work without heating them to get the moisture out (which you have to be careful about or they melt...). Most little bags are what come in products we buy, so they will only work for a short time, if they haven't already done their job in the product they were meant for. If someone wants to use silica, I recommend buying new and if possible, the type that have color-change beads so you can see when they're maxed out. Here, a large bag is done for after a month... I have used them in my fire-resistant documents box and it is insane how quickly I have to change packets out or I get mold.

 

You could always move overhere.
Fortunately we don't have that problem. Summer droughts are more of a problem, and it will only get worse in years to come.

 

Oh believe me, if I could claim a work visa or family citizenship elsewhere, I would seriously consider it! I'm an uncouth American though. Y'all are probably relieved to have less of us.

I could move more north, but I am not built for snow. I do love my city, it's just got challenges like anywhere else.

 

There are many ex-pats in my city, so we are used to a bit of give and take.
We can even handle rude Hollanders (only just), so I'm sure we can handle the occasional uncouth American.

 

If you haven't yet, read this:

https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/byne-s-disease

Am I correct that what you are showing as proposed storage/display is a jewellery salesman's box? I don't know what's under the leatherette covering, but I think it would be OK, especially if you either left the lid a little raised or even just opened it up for a few seconds on a regular basis. I use a box of the sort for rings, some of which have shell cameos in them, & they have lived there happily for years.

 

yes i believe so. Its a jewelry display case for a store. Im not sure where else to look. I want to be able to look at them. also if the cameos i have have Bynes can i store them with cameos that don't ? or will it spread?

 

Yes, a jewellery store might also use these if they remove items from display while they are closed & put them in a safe.

Byne's can't leap tall buildings in a single bound. If you clean off the incrustation from any affected piece, don't place it in contact with others &, most important, don't keep them all together in a Byne's-conducive setting, there should be no fear of contagion. If you keep your shell cameos all jumbled together in a cardboard box stored for a couple of years in the basement of a house that is not in the desert, you could be looking at a multi-cameo disaster.

 

Very comforting to know.

 

Try mountain areas

Is that brynes the green stuff? I thought that was var... Ugh. Corroded copper ...

 

No, Byne's is white and fully explained with photos in Bronwen's link above in this thread.

I have had a piece with Byne's that had yellow on top of the white, but that might have been an accumulation of debris or secondary mold growth.

 

Verdigris. Which doesn't occur on shell cameos.

 

Yah, it's a metal thing.

I'll always guess