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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 458999, member: 5833&quot;]&#039;Soapstone&#039;, &#039;alabaster&#039; &amp; &#039;marble&#039; are terms that get used informally for more than one type of stone, all of them pretty soft.&nbsp; I would not want to say that there was never, ever any such work, but none of them has been the material of choice for cameos, maybe because they offer the worst of both worlds: harder than shell, so more work to cut; not as durable as any of the quartzes or the gem stones, more prone to wear, fracture &amp; scratching.&nbsp; Most of what is called &#039;lava&#039; has similar properties, but also the advantage of being a location-specific souvenir for the region around Vesuvius.</p><p><br /></p><p>The original purpose of intaglios, where the design is engraved down into the stone, was for use as a seal; color was less important than hardness &amp; any metaphysical properties attributed to the material.&nbsp; Cameos are decorative rather than functional.&nbsp; While there are monochromatic ones, stones with layers or patches of contrasting color have always been preferred for this purpose.</p><p><br /></p><p>I sometimes see cameos described as being alabaster or marble; have yet to see one suitable for wear as jewellery I thought actually was, although some reliefs made for decor, such as some framed wall plaques, do appear to be one or the other of these stones, as well as plaques, principally from France, frequently of religious subjects, that are described as meerschaum or &#039;pipe clay&#039;.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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