Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

@Willcpfc What is going on at about 5 o'clock on the front? Looks less like Byne's & more like verdigris spreading from the frame. We need to figure out how to clean that off in a way that is safe for the shell.

 

She is, as is, of course, the last one. I'm partial to Diana; yours is a very nice one. I suspect there is a code for identifying warriors like the one on your intaglio, that the weapon & helmet probably tell you who it is, but have never found any info on it. I have one that says, in Greek, in reverse, AJAX, but most are not so thoughtful. Thank you for sharing your pretties.

 

An unusual one. Did we see this at the time of acquisition? Or am I thinking of something else?

She's particularly lovely.

A nice strong maenad/bacchante. Is that the ring your mom gave you?

 

Well spotted. Fortunately, it appeared to be some wax or similar substance and was removed with minimal effort.

 

Just found this online:


The Allegory of the Night. The goddess Selene is depicted with all of her attributes, as the owl holding poppies in its pawns, and poppies in her hair. Moon and star are other two attributes of Selene. Sardonyx Shell, 15K gold, Circa 1850 Italy

 

Wow. She's wonderful, and a league above mine in detail.

 

That is just beautiful!!!!!!!!

 

She almost certainly falls within that range. Might be tightened a little to 1855 - 1885, the period when working in shell was being taken seriously & before it began to devolve. I don't know enough about Victorian jewellery in general to be able to pick up clues the metal work may offer about date.

I think yours competes well with the one MOS found.

 

Hello again,
Thank you for sharing the links and your website, for someone new like me, this is a real learning curve.
I have tried to take some fotos of my 9 karat camel's hallmark, but was not successful. I was very happy with your reply, she is a keeper for now.
I found a bracelet, as I mentioned I am still at the beginning of my journey, and decided not to make a expensive mistake, I bought something relatively cheap, please find attached photos. The quality of the carving is not outstanding, the back of them are some concave some straight, some slippery and some looking like egg shell. I have tested them with a hot niddle, and it did not melt. Also, I looked at the gold metal with a magnifying glass, where the top layer chipped off I can see some red metal, similar to cooper. There is also a small hallmark.
What do you think it is, and if it's real Cameo, why was it mounted in copper like material?
How old do you think it is?
Is there any value in this?
Thank you so much.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

Hi,
Don't know about Cameos, but the portrait looks like president Lincon in my eyes.
Lovely, thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Simona

 

I agree the carving is not great, but they look like shell to me.

I have to say, please, please retire the hot needle! Yes, it will give you results for plastics, but it will also cause damage to those plastics. Plus celluloid is highly flammable and you may have a serious problem if you test it with the hot needle. There are other ways to test plastic, please don't do it again

 

Glad to hear it. She looks absolutely gawgeous now.

 

The cameos are 'real', natural shell & hand carved, but this alone does not give them any great value. As you yourself noted:

And quality of carving is everything. These cameos are more whittled than carved. Early in this thread someone asked what things to watch for when looking at cameos. I listed them in this post:

CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Small, poorly cut shell cameos of the pretty lady type that are not even very pretty do not meet the criteria.

It would be a maker's mark. (Sorry, no, I don't recognize.) A hallmark tells you something about the quality of the metal, like your 9ct mark.

Certainly not antique. Post WWII - 1950s would be my guess.

If you mean value beyond what you paid for it, suspect not, or not much. If you mean value as part of a collection of cameos, no, not really. On the other hand, if you're collecting mid-century costume bracelets, this would fit right in. If you like it & would wear it, that's another kind of value.

You are proceeding sensibly by not spending much when you're uncertain about value. The main way to learn about cameos is to look at lots of them, as you are doing. It's really no different than learning about sculpture. You might be interested in this discussion: Cameos. Pieces of art or craft?

 

This little cameo came in the post today and I’m a bit confused about it’s age.
The style of the carving looks older than the setting itself.
Any help appreciated.





Also, there are couple of letters scratched on the back but I doubt they are the carver’s signature/initials.

 

What a lovely, well made, little piece. The mount & the cameo look like contemporaries to me, 1890 - 1910. Excellent cameo, so would think the engraver would want to sign, but it's impossible to know for certain what SA represents. Very nice acquisition.

 

Thank you Bronwen!
The thing that looks out of place to me is the hinge. It doesn’t look like a replacement and according to this webpage the round hinges came into use in the 1930s.
https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Dating-brooch-fasteners

 

She's a sweetie! It's a shame there is a little nibble along the bottom edge of he figure but it's minor.

 

Thanks!
Update about the hinge.
Just been looking at Edwardian bar brooches and as far as I can see their hinges look very similar.
Bronwen is spot on, as usual!

 

Just wanted to share another eBay disappointment.
The lovely little cameo I just bought, was listed (and priced) as 9 Carat Gold.
When it came yesterday, the setting was looking a bit off. You know that feeling when something is really gold and when it’s not.
So, took it to the jeweller and my suspicions were confirmed. It’s not even gold plated.
The seller is not responding.
I really like the cameo but don’t like the price I paid and the way I’ve been cheated.
I don’t really know what to do.

 

You can open a "not as described" dispute if the seller doesn't respond. Don't worry, you will get your money back, just follow the instructions.