Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

This is a 10k ring with a chipped cameo, any way to find out where and when from?

 

IMO, cameo 40s/50s, probably set in the same country where you are. Cameo itself would be Italian.

 

Thank you. I am thinking of selling, any idea who would be interested? I know ebay, but people who would really appreciate it.

 

In all honesty, I don't think the ring can do much of any better than scrap value. The cameo is not a particularly good one & the crack is serious. Cecilia came off of eBay; it's as good a marketplace as any for this sort of thing.

 

I just bought a cameo that has that same brownish/grey hue to it and thought it was part of the shell. Did you have it professionally cleaned? Or did you do it yourself & if so do you mind telling me how?
Thanks
Sandra

 

I put a dab of dish washing liquid soap & some tap water into a small dish & let it soak. When a cameo needs washing, & many are just plain dirty, I usually let them soak for several hours; severe cases may soak overnight. In this case I was so eager to see how Cecilia was going to look that I only let her bathe for about an hour before rinsing & going at her with the little child's toothbrush. Found that the brown film cleaned off easily, water soluble, & she was quite clean otherwise. On some the grime is so tenacious that it takes several rounds of soaking & brushing to clear out the last crevices. Pat the water off & if in a setting allow to air dry.

Shell cameos by themselves are not generally afraid of soap & water. Soaking is not a good idea for ones in a setting that can let water in easily but not readily let it out again. I once had the 'diamond' (read 'rhinestone') in a cameo that was en habille wash out of its mount. Think it was being held in by grunge. Fortunately I heard it fall in the sink & was able to find it to be restored to its place. So that's a cautionary tale about judgement needed with pieces of mixed materials. But the vast majority of cameos can be soaked & brushed without worry.

This simple method would probably horrify a museum curator. They hold things in trust & don't like to lose a single molecule of their holdings, so they use extremely conservative techniques. You may come across advice to use distilled or de-ionized water. There's nothing at all wrong with this. You probably would not want to subject a cameo to chlorinated tap water once a month. However, for a first wash, it can't do appreciable harm.

 

You're not allowed to say you bought a cameo without showing it to us. Before & after pix would be very interesting.

 

I am waiting until tomorrow to open this one (This one is Marigold, yep I name my cameos, and so far have Lily, Primrose, and now Marigold) up as it is my Mother's Day gift, so I have not seen it in hand. But looking at your picture it looks a lot like this. (This is the photo from the eBay listing) Will shoot some pictures of my own tomorrow and will post. You all have been SO wonderful here!! My husband says I get myself in trouble every time I look on eBay.

 

Bated breath.

 

Your cleaning tip worked MIRACLES!!! Here is a picture of Marigold all cleaned up

 

Marigold looks radiant, if a little blurry. Glad you like the outcome; it would be difficult to put the film back.

 

I picked this up since it was less than $15 US including shipping. I love that it comes with its own little plastic case!
Mid 20th century?

 

The jeweler at Smithville, NJ, a quaint little historic shopping mecca now, says he can't keep cameos in stock. If you are ever in my neck of the woods...every person who has left our area always wants to visit here again.
https://www.historicsmithville.com/shoppes-smithville/

 

Probably, based as much on the box as on the cameo. Fun thing to have.

 

My first take on this sentence had me wondering what cameos do that makes them unwelcome in his shop. Second take had me feeling optimistic about the market for cameos. Hope that Cape May vibe becomes a fashion trend.

 

No, he can't keep them in stock because people want them!

 

Have you ever seen any of the cameos he has for sale? How would you characterize the quality of his cameos generally? Mainly pretty ladies or some that are more interesting? Trying to get a feel for the taste of his customers.

 

I don't go in there often. He has a lot of more modern things. He had a huge collection of beautiful, deep dark large tanzinite pieces years ago, sold every one. Sorry I didn't buy one...he doesn't have cameos in stock, he only buys them when people come in to sell them, and they go out again.

 

Just sent a message to this seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/154466311943

It has been a long time since I felt compelled to try to correct a listing but couldn't let this one go. Waiting now for the backlash. After all, who am I to contradict Sotheby's? For the record, it is not glass paste, it is what was once known as 'sulphur'. It is the original cameo that is by Maria Feodorovna, not this impression. It is signed only in the sense that the impression picked up the signature on the original.

Piece is not even in good condition.

Bidding so high, have to think bidders do not know what they are looking at. That, or the market for Tassie productions is really hot. It did not sell when offered by Sotheby's (sold price is shown when there is one):

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auction...works-of-art-faberg-icons-l18116/lot.486.html

Shows that it's not only on eBay that sellers can be delusional: 3,000 - 5,000 GBP?!

 

Follow up: seller received message in spirit intended & plans to do more research. A very sensible reply. Now to watch what happens with the listing.