Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

This particular thread has a wealth of information about cameos. It makes for very interesting reading. There are also threads about cameo subjects and cameo signatures. Bronwen is the resident expert. If you have time, you should take a look at her website, Cameo Times. It is very easy to fall down the cameo rabbit hole!

 

@evelyb30 Your cameo is lovely. It has it all- delicate carving, enamel, pearls, and an inscription on the back.

 

@HollyDay- One thing you will find if you continue to collect cameos- the more you learn, the more your taste becomes refined. I have been collecting for 30+ years. Here is a snapshot of my changing tastes over the years- from top (purchased 25-30 years ago) to bottom (recently purchased). And I have found some amazing cameos in the $50-$200 range - so all beautiful cameos are not thousands of dollars.

 

Nice progression! I started buying cameos a little over 20 years ago. I bought one because I liked it, then kept buying more. Most of them were inexpensive, as I wanted to learn the look and feel of a variety of types of material from which they are made. I never really progressed beyond that stage, and also stopped buying them some time ago. This thread, and the others here, led me to consider progressing to finer quality cameos. So far I haven't. But do enjoy looking here!

 

Lovely collection throughout the years @PepperAnna, how very nice of you to share! I am drawn towards the two larger pieces in your recent batch, as well as the brooch set in an octagon frame from your older collection. (is that, as well as the lady on the left in your recent set, conch?)

You make quite a good point about amazing cameos at fairly reasonable prices - with what little I know at present, I am a bit surprised at how high some pieces are priced at auction sites. Buying the inexpensive ones at this stage, as well as this forum, and the Cameo Times site of @Bronwen help me figure things out.

But this much I am certain: I am not buying any cameo for a thousand dollars or more I’d be happy & content admiring them from a distance.

 

@HollyDay Yes, both are pink conch. So it the one next to the octagonal lady in the upper picture.

You are correct about auctions- sometimes the prices are crazy. I can't believe some of the prices for cameos in the last year or two. But every once in a while a bargain pops up. In the lower picture, the cameo on the right was one of those amazing finds-$70 including shipping. I bought it at an online auction. The carving is very crisp and the frame is lovely. I really liked the subject matter. So there are still great cameos at reasonable prices to be found, it just may take a while.

 

^Nice! At $70 that beautiful cameo is a great deal @PepperAnna. It looks pretty detailed. While its ornate setting was what initially drew me to it, its carvings conveyed natural movement which I find beautiful.

Btw your cameo avatar looks quite detailed as well, with a nice composition too.

 

Hi, I’m wondering if anyone could give me your opinion of this cameo. I don’t have any background on it due to finding it in the ground today.
Thanks for any help.

 

I was going to say that the poor thing looked like it had been dug up...which it had. If I had to guess, probably wrongly, I'd say 1900-1915, brass steel and shell. It looks like some insects had their way with her face, and chemicals in the soil took off the gold paint.

 

Thanks for the reply.
it was around 6-8 inches in the ground and packed with dirt. I tried not to be too aggressive cleaning it but you can see some bright brass/gold colored areas

 

It wouldn't have mattered by now. The acids in the soil already had their way with it. The metal probably is mostly brass, and used to be covered in gold radiator paint. I don't think you hurt her much.

 

Great find! Congratulations, and welcome aboard.

 

I haven't posted here in a while because I didn't have much to post.. but now I have a strange one.. do you also see a (creepy) face behind her neck or am I going crazy ?

 

I see it! I think it is an unintentional "face", and more of a poor attempt at a veil or other hair ornament.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it..

 

I see it, too. Did you buy it because of that?

 

I would have - a cousin would love it for the creepy face!

 

I was trolling eBoo last week and came across this cameo (seller's photos):


The poor thing looked filthy. On the back the whitish areas on the left looked like Byne's disease. It looked to date to mid to late 20th century which I would normally pass by. But I felt so sad at seeing this poor thing, and the price was not too bad, so I bought it.

I got it today, yes there is Byne's disease on the back and some on the front though you can't see it in the photo because of the filth

Here is a photo after the first round of cleaning. I still have more to go but she looks much, much better:


Another thing I noticed, though the seller hinted the mount is gold filled, it looked better than that to me. Just tested it and it is holding at 14K after over 20 minutes

So my wanting to rescue her will pay off very nicely!

 

I am glad you rescued her. She looks so much nicer after a wash.

 

She's much improved, and I'm happy that gold-filled case isn't filled!