Cameo Necklace - Advice needed :)

Well, I am thinking about buying my wife a nice Cameo Necklace for our anniversary or Christmas (I haven't decided yet LOL)

I know absolutely nothing about Cameos and need some guidence. I would like to get her an antique one but have no clue what I should be looking for or avoiding.

I humbly bow down to the expertise of those in the know

 

It's a bit of a wide ranging question. I'd avoid anything with a pointed nose. Depending on the wife's taste, I'd go for a pendant as the terminal of a necklace, not a necklace of small cameos, and I like multiple figure groups such as the Three Graces, and male figures or heads are more unusual than female ones.

Trawl through ebay sold listings for a few that you like and we can comment on them to see if you are heading in the right direction. For a quality Italian shell cameo, gilt metal or gold for the mount does not make much difference for really fine pieces.

 

Thanks AF, that gives me a starting point.

 

About 10 years ago I got it into my head that I wanted a cameo. I kept looking everywhere I went & never found one that suited me. That is when I figured out it was the faces that I didn't really like. I was selling at a show one weekend & happened upon a lady who sold almost nothing but cameos. I never realized all the different designs that were out there. She must have had 300 different cameos from very tiny to 3 to 4 inches across.

I ended up buying one from her that is a bunch of flowers that I absolutely fell in love with from the moment I saw it in the case. I will post a photo in a little while.

Just wanted to give you a little more to consider.

 

Good advice!

 

Also look at how the cameo is made. Many are glued together, meaning the Cameo (Face) and the background are glued together. A good cameo should be carved from one piece. Also the material can make a difference. Weather it is Agate or Shell. I'm not quite sure which is considered better. I think shell is more sought after though. I know that after being held in the hand for a minute or two.....when pressed against the cheek or lips, the stone (Agate) cameos will feel colder then a shell cameo. That's all I got. Oh..... Be sure to hold it up to the light to look for cracks.

 

You should also determine if you want a gold, gold filled or sterling setting. Or does the setting matter at all?

Some pins can also be worn as necklaces.

 

See...this is exactly why I asked. Great info you guys/gals.

Just an FYI, I'm leaning towards gold.

 

Desperate, you should be able to find something nice. Cameo's are a bit of a "buyer's market" these days. Prices seem to be down from a few years ago. I like Peggy's suggestion as to what she found and liked. Not just a profile, but flowers too or something a bit fun in the setting. The setting itself can vary from simple to complex, and something might catch your eye setting-wise.

There are a ton of cameos on Ebay. Just scrolling under "sold" will give you some ideas. Fun idea!

 

check out Lava Cameos for something a little different

 

Here is my cameo. It has the bale so I could wear it as a necklace, but I always wore it as a pin.

 

I'm seconding CXGirl's lava cameo suggestion. They look quite different, and the carvings can be quite elaborate. The hard stone cameos are the most expensive, if for no other reason than they're the hardest to carve. Conch shell and coral cameos are nice too. If you're lucky, you'll hit one at a dealer who has no clue which is what.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/tips/cameo.html

 

I have an amazing cameo brooch in a very low grade metal rim. As others have said, the setting can mean nothing.

 

I think the older 19th-century hardstone (mostly agate) cameos are gorgeous! There are also modern dyed stone cameos that are beautiful. They often have a blue background and are cut in some fashion using lasers, I believe. I have a newer one that I bought 15 years ago at a museum store and it is detailed. Doesn't look at all like an older one, though.

And the nicer shell cameos are also exquisite. I prefer the antique ones if carved from shell, although there are some nicer modern ones from Italy.

 

I think I have enough to go on to start my searching.

I really appreciate everybody's input. I'm probably going to post some of the ones I find in hopes of getting opinions.

 

I really appreciate everybody's input. I'm probably going to post some of the ones I find in hopes of getting opinions.

I don't think you will have any problems getting opinions out of this group.

 

I just found this site.....looks to be interesting.......
http://www.cameoheaven.com/tutorial.html

 

I just found this site.....looks to be interesting.......
http://www.cameoheaven.com/tutorial.html

The lady who runs that site is the one I bought my cameo from at the show.

 

Well I have spent some time at the site Aquitaine provided. Holy crap! I had no idea what I was getting myself into LOL. I'm fairly sure this woman knows her Cameos and she has quite a few for sale as well. I am only on the first page of Cameos she has for sale and some of them are seriously out of my price range but there are quite a few that do fall within my price range. I will probably buy one from her.

I found this one and it is the first one on my short list. The description and image are from her website.

This is a LOVELY CAMEO OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMEN. She is surrounded by pearls. The setting is tested and marked 10 kt gold.It has the fold down bail for chain. The size is 1 1/8 by 1 3/8 from the 1940's May be Flora with flowers on her shoulder.