Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Something different for the cameo collector.

 

German Headband Girl glasses? Kinda cool.

 

What an interesting treatment of a basic shell cameo. She is so en habillé, she almost qualifies as a commesso. Do you recall what was said about how some of the effects were achieved? There are some little semiprecious stones embellishing her, but was enamel also used? I'm especially curious about the wings. Mother of pearl, perhaps? She would be eye-catching when worn, that's for sure.

 

A bit kitschy, but actually look pretty well done for what they are. I had not seen the like before. You grabbed them, of course? I mean, how could anyone resist?

 

Latest addition.. what I like is the way they are tilted along the necklace, so near the clasp they are horizontal.. some of the cameos itself have a light pink hue, but the black material is chipped, so I suppose it's glass, isnt' it ? And is it correct to place it as Art Deco era ?
Thank you for letting me to me brag about it..

 

They were "new" to me, too, but no, I didn't get them.

 

Yes, they would be glass, although I see from two different molds. No two hand cut cameos are ever identical, not even the same subject by the same hand. These are probably Czech, and, even though Czech glass cameos were widely exported for use in the jewellery of other countries, I'm guessing this necklace is also Czech. It doesn't have a deco look to me; more likely to be 1930s, I think.

You're welcome. Do you/will you wear it?

 

Quelle dommage.

 

I don’t remember enamel being mentioned, I’m sure the expert said the wings were abalone though then named her as Psyche because of the wings. I assumed part of the green draped garment was dyed but I can’t remember if she actually said that.

 

Hi Xristina,
Beautiful necklace. It reminds me very much of the one I made for a friend using the medals of the Purple Heart. This was before the ban on using medals. They were very common in old Army Navy stores. Thanks for jogging my memory.
greg

 

Going back with daytime eyes, can see the wings do appear to be abalone. The green robe is interesting, if we are picking it up at all accurately for color, as it is not monochromatic, not just a swipe of paint/dye:



It looks to me like the underlying shell cameo was not cut as Psyche, but once you add wings...

 

Thank you, Bronwen !
I will try to sell it, probably, as I think it's too elegant for me.. I don't dress up, mostly jeans and t-shirts and I think it deserve to be shown.. but I had to buy it and keep it, at least for a while..

Thank you for sharing, gregsglass ! I bet your necklace was gorgeous !

 

What age do you think this is and what is she made of?
Marked 800 on the back but can’t see much that looks like silver!. Surround is some sort of helix chain link that moves.
Thankyou

 

Mother of pearl part of a shell, pleistocene era?
Joking! Perhaps around 1950

 

I am thinking early 1950s, too. I used to have a shell cameo with that same sort of setting and thought it was from that time period.

 

More like Plasticine era! Actually I think they were mostly extinct by then but it's artistic licence!

 

Yep & yep. Mother of pearl, probably 1950s. I see these settings now & again; the 800 mark suggests it was set in Italy as well as having been cut there.

 

This is from an auction that was held November, 2018:
Lot 130: Roman Gold Ring with Portrait Gemstone
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/roman-gold-ring-with-portrait-gemstone-E0E4F91B22



Anyone have any comments?

 

Headband Girl has been gettin' around for longer than previously recognized?