Wax Portrait on Amber (???) Cameo Pendant?

I need some amber experts on this one!

I can't find another like this guy, other than the portrait is in the style of wax portraits from late 18th through 19th c. I put a slightly moist cotton tip on him to clear up a little debris and the surface does soften, so I'm relatively confident he's a (molded?) wax. I'm open to other suggestions though!

The base has tool and drill marks, is extremely light (15g/.5oz), and semi-transparent. It's soft enough that I could use a dental pick to lightly scratch the interior of the break on the right side (one scratch...the others were already there). It's 2" (5.08 cm) high.



The surface is a matte with pitting on the portrait side. When lit, there's an interior crackle structure layer.



I can't do tests that are wet, but it does fluoresce.



Soooo amber? Some early plastic? Some other theory? Please help!

IF it's amber...just for speculation that I will probably never confirm...is it possible it's Simetite (Sicilian amber)? The specimens are giving me pause, but I'm not an amber collector so I don't know what they all look like.





IGR also says: "The working of amber in Sicily dates back to the early XIXth century. The pieces were worked with a lathe or cut to create such items as necklaces, pendants, rings, trinkets or boxes, even 4-5 cm cameos (Ferrara, 1805)."

For gent's identity, I casually assumed he was Socrates but I haven't found the exact same depiction and a lot of him have less hair, while this one has a more generous amount of locks, a la the statue at the Academy of Athens (1850). So suggestions on him are helpful too if you've got any.

Thanks everyone!

 

My first thought is tortoiseshell.

 

Socrates was my first impression.

 

That's a good thought, and I had it but then... Have you seen it with this weird crackle texture? I also thought the pattern was a bit too swirly, but maybe you've seen that in tort?

I just investigated again with some magnification and I can see extremely tiny bubbles I think? It has a bit of a glitter reflecting look on back when lit. I put it next to the other tort I have and florescence isn't quite the same...the tort has more contrast with dark areas looking a deeper purple.

 

He puts me in mind of this guy:



John Matthews, 'the Soda Fountain King', a Brit who introduced a technique for carbonation to the US. I have an intaglio ring seller claimed was sold to him by a descendant of this guy. The ring is no doubt Socrates, but suspect the family had it because of the resemblance.

A modeling in wax was the first step in producing a cameo in the durable material James Tassie called 'enamel' Have to think sometimes people felt satisfied with the wax & saved themselves the cost of the fully realized thing. I think this is a private portrait & that the background is sort of reconstituted amber. The gent looks right for the period:

https://www.pinterest.com/cameotimescom/cameo-portraits-of-victorian-gentlemen/