CAMEOS Cameos are an ancient technique first used in jewelry by the Greeks and Romans and carved from gemstones. All true cameos are carvings - designed to show contrasting colors between the foreground and background. Cameo jewelry regained popularity during the Renaissance and has continued through all jewelry eras up to the present. The Empress Josephine loved cameos and had parures made of gemstones, coral, and shell. Queen Victoria was known to have several sets of cameo jewelry made for herself and as gifts. Women weren't the only ones to appreciate the beauty of cameos, 18th and 19th century men wore them set in fobs, stickpins, and rings. The oldest cameos showed classical or mythological scenes. Later, biblical scenes became popular like the one called "Rebecca at the Well". While the dominant motif in the 1800's is a woman's bust shown in profile, you can find other carvings as well - flowers, birds, landscapes, and men's heads, for instance. In the Art Deco era, newer designs sometimes show women with updated styles - bobbed hair or sleeveless dresses. It was during this time that the carvings began to show women's profiles with an upturned nose - a characteristic helpful in dating. Hard-stone Materials: Agate Cornelian Malachite Onyx Sardonyx Jasper Emerald Moonstone Amethyst Other Natural Materials: Coral Ivory Jet Lava Shell Tortoiseshell Bone Glass Bog Oak Gutta Percha Rock Crystal Lava became popular during the late Georgian, early Victorian eras. Visitors to Italy bought lava jewelry as mementos of the sights around Mt. Vesuvius. Lava shows a variety of earth tone colors - sand, gray, red-brown, and olive green. It's a soft material that allows for carvings of high relief. Because it's lightweight, large pieces could be made and worn comfortably. Shell cameos are carved from several types of mollusk shells. First carved in Italy and France in the 1500's, they became popular for use in jewelry in the early 1800's. The peak for Coral cameos was 1800 through 1860's. Large sites for Coral were found on the coast of Italy at this time, so material was easily available. People at the time thought Coral promoted health and good luck. It comes in a range of colors - dark reds, pinks, white, and black. (Modern pieces of red coral have been irradiated to give them a deep color. It can no longer be harvested.) Plastic or Celluloid cameos of molded plastic are often used in modern costume jewelry pieces. These are usually of a cruder design than older, hand-carved pieces and are very lightweight. The woman's head, shown with a ponytail hairstyle is the most usual motif. Rebecca At the Well is a term used for a cameo showing a woman in full figure standing in a landscape setting. There are variations to the carvings, but they usually show a house, bridge, stream, and trees. Cameo Habille' is a term for a specific type of cameo. Originating in the Victorian era, this cameo shows a woman's head wearing jewelry. Her earrings, necklace, or hair ornament is set with tiny gemstones. What to Look for in Antique Cameos: Design is classical, biblical, or allegorical Portraits of women show straight "Roman" noses Made of hardstone, shell, ivory, gemstone, coral If set within a brooch, it'll have a "c" or trombone clasp Gold-plated jewelry pieces and those marked "9K" first became available in the mid-1800's. Popularity for Sterling settings were greatest in the late 1800's. Settings for Antique Cameos Silver- Sterling or Continental Gold - all karats Pinchbeck Cut Steel Gold-Fill or Gold-Plate Jet Twentieth Century Costume Cameos: Portrait may have a less "classical" look, inexpensive pieces often show a woman with a ponytail Women have upturned noses If made of plastic or celluloid, the piece will be lightweight, have less defined details, and may show seams indicating it's been molded When buying a cameo, look at the piece under magnification and in good light to check for chips or cracks. Look at the quality and condition of the setting. When comparing two cameos where the quality of carving is equal, a hard-stone cameo is worth more than one of shell. But, it's the quality of the carving that has the most impact on value; the best cameos show finely delineated and well finished details. Georgian Art Deco Early Victorian Animals & Insects Mid-Victorian Cameo Late Victorian Enamel Edwardian Mourning & Hair Jewelry Art Nouveau Revival Arts & Crafts ---I'd welcome your comments, suggestions, and any knowledge you'd care to share, as well. Is there a subject you'd like to have added to these pages? Please feel free to email me at: jthomas@jantiques.com