Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

@Bronwen, I just checked Nectar on RubyLane and did NOT see it either for sale OR SOLD!! But Pinterest also says:
"Incredible Massive Victorian Grand Tour Mt Vesuvius Lava Cameo Brooch - Hebe and Eagle
nancy baraglia
The Cameo
What others are saying
⊙ Cameo Cupidity ⊙ Lava Cameo of Hebe feeding Zeus in the form of a eagle
Lava Cameo of Hebe feeding Zeus in the form of a eagle"

I usually stay away from Pinterest, but this time was impressed by not only the huge collection of Cameos, but the quality they were showing, to me at least, seemed quite impressive..........!

 

French religious (& other subjects) reliefs are so confusing, because they get called by sellers so many different names. Some 'dripstone' pieces are souvenirs of grottoes; religious themes would be no surprise there. Would take a good bit of time to make one by this process large enough for a wall plaque. Guessing that some are plaster, others definitely meerschaum. Often under glass, further making it difficult to know. Most people are unaware of dripstone as a possibility. Took me a while to find out. Originally I just knew that some cameos described as lava were something else.

 

Thanks for checking. Still think it is the same one. Assuming RL does not show sold listing in perpetuity, so may have been sold a good while back. Seller is a friend & photo on CameoTimes was provided by her.

 

I believe this question got missed in the flurry of activity here.

I showed great restraint in not saying anything until after @Bronwen had provided the answer. It was an agonizing twenty minutes.

 

Subject matter, size, glass, taken together. But yes, the greatest of these is glass.

You reminded me I meant to leave a comment for komokwa concerning restraint. Have to go back & find. Shouldn't be difficult.

 

I was online most of yesterday shopping for a piece to treat myself. I shared two of the ones I had been eyeing yesterday and a white lava one earlier today. I finally settled on this one below. I liked the image although I suspect it’s fairly common. It’s 800 silver, it has a tiny hoop on the top that I plan to get a bale set on. Even if it’s nothing fancy at $48 including shipping I didn’t loose much. I have a soft spot for marcasite and hold out that it’ll make a comeback in fashion. It’s listed as sardonyx but I don’t think it is, too pink.




I now hunt for Charivari charms and recently purchased a stripped chain which is currently on it’s way. Because of my history of searches I have interesting things popping up on my Etsy based on what I’ve looked at before. I wasn’t paying attention and while clicking passed everything to hurry up and purchase this cameo I accidentally added and bought a taxidermy chipmunk.

Don’t drink and shop, my friends.

 

I used to have the same problem with 2:00AM shopping.

Now I take a sleeping pill.

 

Looks like shell

 

I think so too. From what I’ve seen sardonyx is darker, right?

 

In the world of cameos, "sardonyx" can refer to shell or stone.

I'm guessing it started because of color similarities with the stone. But that's just a guess.

 

Look at the concave back and side view of the brooch ,no one would waste time to carve out a concave reverse side stone and bend the setting to look like it fit the curve of shell.

 

Pretty sure there is no argument about the material (everyone agrees it's shell)... perhaps a bit of argument about terminology.

 

I like the marcasite, too. Congratulations on your find!

 

Thought you might appreciate this lava (I think) cameo I picked up over the weekend. It's hallmarked on the clasp; I think it might be the French crab mark. I'd love to get your thoughts on age and subject matter.

 

I love charivaris and charivari charms. I'm currently a bit obsessed with them due to a story I'm working on. Here's my current collection.

 

Your thoughts on this pretty piece, please. Carved or molded? Composition? Seller simply states, "Carved cameo stone, coral cabochon stone with floral design accents."
Thanks!

 

I have seen this subject before (not this cameo), I THINK.

I think it is Beatrice Cenci.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Cenci


I suspect glass, perhaps even "lava glass" that @Bronwen mentioned within the past few days.

But you know the drill, I just try to get my guess in early. Wait for confirmation.

 

Thank you! What a fascinating historical subject

 

Sorry, one more. I also bought these pair of cameos for one euro each. They're light weight, greenish, and feel kind of gritty on the backs, like sandstone. One is inscribed Chateubriand and the other is inscribed Chopin

 

wow, it is really hard to tell what's going on there. I would have guessed "glass painted flat back covered in grey putty*" but surely that's wrong, so...

weird.

I like the setting, though.


*putti putty