Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Bronwen · Mar 31, 2021

bluumz said: ↑

I haven't been around the forum much lately, it's gotten too busy at work. Glad to find this thread not far from the top when sorted by "Recent"!
Click to expand...

Think of you often when hearing the national CoVid news. Still relatively quiet at your institution?

Kathy Anderson · Mar 31, 2021

Bronwen said: ↑

It's a niche interest, so thought there should be a niche for those of us who appreciate these little works of art.

Hoping this will be an ongoing thread for sharing and learning about cameos. Intaglios welcome too!

I'll start off with a cameo received just this afternoon. It might qualify as a 'find', although not bought for a thrift shop price. Still, with it in my hand, think I got a very good deal for $100. It was sold as gold filled, and seller's photos added to the impression that the setting was not very good. My interest was in the hardstone cameo of Michelangelo, so threw in the opening bid and won without opposition. There is a tag on the safety chain not shown in the listing. It appears to confirm my immediate impression when I had the piece in my hand.

The cutter of the cameo tamed his subject's distinctively unruly hair.

View attachment 104441 View attachment 104442 View attachment 104443
The way cabinetry typically has parts that are out of sight and made of 'secondary wood', it is usual for a cameo like this to be framed and ornamented in precious metal while having hidden more structural bits made of brass, pinchbeck, etc. The seller appears to have misread the tag as indicating the whole piece is gold filled. Based on the weight in my hand, even taking into account the stone, and the quality of the T hinge and C clasp, very similar to the findings on the Luigi Rosi cameo I have shown elsewhere (Christmas gift to self), I had already concluded it would be wise to have the setting tested. Then I bothered to read the tag. I will still get around to having it tested, after the holidays when my jewellers have rested up a bit.

Your turn.
Click to expand...

Have not collected cameos, nor am I still, but the art fascinates me, so congrats. It seems with this type of art jewelry (it is), the unique character of not only the subject, but the carver, stands out. Your knowledge is amazing. Bravo, and thanks.

Kathy Anderson · Mar 31, 2021

Bronwen said: ↑

The majority of cameos we find for sale are cut in helmet shell, like the ones shared by bercrystal & evelyb30. A couple of varieties are commonly used; one provides a background that is lighter & more orange, the other is darker, sometimes quite a dark brown. We are beginning to see artificial cameos that look frighteningly like helmet shell.

Conch shell is also used. These cameos can be all white, all pink, most often a white figure on a pink background. On eBay they are frequently incorrectly described as angel skin coral.

There are coral cameos, ranging from a deep red, which can be assumed to be dyed, to the palest shades that are the true angel skin. There are also a lot of fake coral cameos, some quite convincing. Best to be careful about these. There is guidance on recognizing coral & conch shell in this article.

Short of gems cut in precious or semi-precious stones, the material that adds the most value to a cameo is agate or jasper, both the same basic mineral, chalcedony, known under the general term 'hardstone'. Agate, with its layers of color, is the more common. The Michelangelo at the top, the set Marie shared with us & the very orange spurious Rosi are all agate. Hardstone can be effectively mimicked by glass. A nice glass cameo is not necessarily without value, just don't pay hardstone prices for one.

Another type of cameo is called lava. Articles about this and about hardstone can be reached from the page on 'angel skin'. Other materials are also used for cameos, but these are the most common.

Cameo collectors disagree about how important various factors are in valuing a cameo, but no one disputes that the very most important is quality of carving. A well carved shell cameo is more valuable than a mediocre one in hardstone.

When first taking an interest in cameos, it is easy to mistake pretty for good, although pretty is a perfectly good place to start. It is only with looking at a wide array of cameos that one develops an appreciation for finer carving and more unusual subjects.

Museums will display ancient Greek or Roman cameos that are broken. Unless the carving on a modern piece is superior, this is not acceptable. Condition counts. When held up with light behind, helmet shell cameos often show fine 'stress lines'. While not desirable, these are not considered a serious flaw if they are not numerous & have not developed into through & through cracks. Hardstone cameos that are set in rings frequently have had their nose knocked off, the first thing I check on these. Cameos can get amazingly grimy. Most can be safely cleaned, so this is not a problem. However, reject anything that looks stained, has anything that looks like an ink mark, etc. These cannot always be remedied.

Most cameos appear in jewellery, both costume quality and fine, and that aspect can be assessed just as for any other jewellery. I cannot overemphasize that you cannot assume a cameo is good because the setting is or vice versa. All else being equal, larger cameos are usually preferred to smaller ones, but this is a minor consideration.

A feature that always adds value but that is rarely found on cameos that turn up in thrift stores and church bazaars is the presence of a signature, even an illegible one.

My personal order for importance:

Quality of carving

Signed or not

Subject

Material

Condition

Setting

Size

Placing the subject so high very much reflects my personal taste. Many people would put it last. It is also something you can't gauge until you have an idea of which subjects are common.

If a cameo comes with its original box it gets a significant bump up in resale value.

Well Chris, you asked.
Click to expand...

Wow. I did have, and keep for decades, a 3-cameo chantelaine necklace with matching earrings, but have passed them on to a niece. If I ever find others, however, in whatever time I have left, will photo to you.

Bronwen · Mar 31, 2021

Kathy Anderson said: ↑

Have not collected cameos, nor am I still, but the art fascinates me, so congrats. It seems with this type of art jewelry (it is), the unique character of not only the subject, but the carver, stands out. Your knowledge is amazing. Bravo, and thanks.
Click to expand...

Aw, shucks.

Bronwen · Mar 31, 2021

Kathy Anderson said: ↑

Wow. I did have, and keep for decades, a 3-cameo chantelaine necklace with matching earrings, but have passed them on to a niece. If I ever find others, however, in whatever time I have left, will photo to you.
Click to expand...

We love seeing new things. Hope you come across something to share.

Bakersgma · Mar 31, 2021

A "chantelaine" necklace? Did you mean "chatelaine?"

bluumz · Apr 1, 2021

Bronwen said: ↑

Think of you often when hearing the national CoVid news. Still relatively quiet at your institution?
Click to expand...

It's gotten busier but it's still not at the level we had in March/April 2020.

Bronwen · Apr 1, 2021

DELUSIONAL SELLER ALERT

FABERGE Antique Imperial RUSSIAN Pendant / Brooch Cameo, 56 gold .

Starting bid:
US $799.00

Bakersgma · Apr 1, 2021

evelyb30 · Apr 1, 2021

Posted on April 1!

Figtree3 · Apr 2, 2021

Bronwen said: ↑

DELUSIONAL SELLER ALERT

FABERGE Antique Imperial RUSSIAN Pendant / Brooch Cameo, 56 gold .

Starting bid:
US $799.00

Click to expand...

Thanks for the laugh!

Willow Myst · Apr 2, 2021

Looks like EVERYTHING that person is selling is "FABERGE Antique Imperial RUSSIAN"

lovewrens · Apr 2, 2021

So glad this is a joke. I thought this was one of the worst cameos I had ever seen, and the Faberge link was just so confusing! Makes mine look so
much better!

Willow Myst · Apr 3, 2021

lovewrens said: ↑

So glad this is a joke. I thought this was one of the worst cameos I had ever seen, and the Faberge link was just so confusing! Makes mine look so
much better!
Click to expand...

Somewhere I missed something.....

Bronwen · Apr 3, 2021

The listing was posted to eBay before April 1 & I didn't think about it's being April Fool's Day when I posted it here. The listing is authentic. In that way it is not a joke.

The shell cameo has nowhere near the quality nor the age to be Faberge, & as I look at it I don't think it's what was originally in that mount. The joke is in trying to pass off this piddling item as Imperial Russian.

Marie Forjan · Apr 3, 2021

Yep, it is a live listing, and as Willow Myst said, all their listings are "Faberge Imperial Russian"

Willow Myst · Apr 5, 2021

Kinda curious what your thoughts are of these two cameos.... they have the same frame but different women, and I am guessing that the green stones are not emeralds. would you say this was more of a mass produced type of deal? I found these on Etsy.com.

KSW · Apr 5, 2021

@Bronwen please can I ask you, I know this isn’t a cameo but I was trying to unravel who it is meant to be?. It’s not mine, I saw it online. It looks very female with the red lips but the centurion type headdress makes me think male?. The winged horse- Perseus? . Thankyou

fridolina · Apr 5, 2021

KSW said: ↑

@Bronwen please can I ask you, I know this isn’t a cameo but I was trying to unravel who it is meant to be?. It’s not mine, I saw it online. It looks very female with the red lips but the centurion type headdress makes me think male?. The winged horse- Perseus? . Thankyou
View attachment 319870
Click to expand...

It’s Athena.
The winged creature on her helmet is Griffin.

“THE GRYPS (Griffin) was a beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.”
https://www.theoi.com/Thaumasios/Grypes.html

KSW · Apr 5, 2021

fridolina said: ↑

The winged creature on her helmet is Griffin
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the stonking great beak should have been a give away!
Athena sounds much more promising

Forum	Title	Date
Jewelry	How to store cameos	Mar 19, 2024
Jewelry	Cleaning Lave Cameos	Mar 12, 2024
Jewelry	French Glass Cameos	Oct 17, 2023
Jewelry	Help needed with age of 2 cameos, please	Sep 30, 2023
Jewelry	Brass brooch with faux cameos	Jun 2, 2023

Log in or Sign up

Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Kathy Anderson Well-Known Member

Kathy Anderson Well-Known Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bakersgma Well-Known Member

bluumz Quite Busy

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bakersgma Well-Known Member

evelyb30 Well-Known Member

Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Willow Myst Member

lovewrens Well-Known Member

Willow Myst Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Marie Forjan Well-Known Member

Willow Myst Member

KSW Well-Known Member

fridolina Well-Known Member

KSW Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Kathy Anderson Well-Known Member

Kathy Anderson Well-Known Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bakersgma Well-Known Member

bluumz Quite Busy

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Bakersgma Well-Known Member

evelyb30 Well-Known Member

Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Willow Myst Member

lovewrens Well-Known Member

Willow Myst Member

Bronwen Well-Known Member

Marie Forjan Well-Known Member

Willow Myst Member

KSW Well-Known Member

fridolina Well-Known Member

KSW Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches