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Message:: [QUOTE="Bronwen, post: 631036, member: 5833"]It looks most like jet to me & I have often seen what I think are premade jet settings holding cameos of various materials.  The first time I bought a piece of this type, with a helmet shell cameo, I wrote the seller to ask if they were really sure it was jet because it was so light & glossy in the hand, not like the heavy, smooth but not shiny, jet I knew from Native American work.  It really seemed like plastic.  Poor seller reassured me & I accepted, with some reservations. I bought this bidding on line in an auction house sale.  I could not examine it in person & it was listed as being Celluloid.  In going over the photos, concluded it was not plastic & was surprised how little competition there was for it.  Cost me as much in fees & shipping as the hammer price.  Had to conclude people who bid 'from the floor' had not bothered to look at it. [ATTACH=full]182281[/ATTACH] Once I had it in hand, wavered in my assessment because the black mount is so light, shiny & clinks when tapped with a fingernail.  But realized this cameo would not have been set in an artificial material.  This firmed up my understanding of what Whitby jet is like, different from U.S. material. This is an excellent question.  Not sure it rules out other materials, but if it sounds solid, probably rules out Celluloid.[/QUOTE]