For the longest time, it was so hard for me to tell the difference between a real shell cameo vs a plastic cameo. Obviously, the cheap ones you get from Forever21 and Hot Topic looks super fake right off the bat, but surprising, there's a number of EXCELLENT plastic cameos that looked good to me. Check out our Facebook, Google+, and our Website for authentic shell/stone cameos!
As mentioned in my last blog, there is no such thing as a "fake" cameo. All cameos are real. However, the material used to carve the cameo is what determine the value of the piece. Cameos can be made from all sorts of materials like sea shell, precious stones, glass, bones, ivory, porcelain, and lava.
To know how to distinguish a real conch shell cameo, it's important to know how they are made.
The majority of quality cameos are made with Queen Conch Sea Shells where the cameo artist hand carve each image onto the surface of the shell. First the artist cut a shape out of the shell that will act as a canvas for the image.
Then the artist polishes and secures the shell onto a wooden stick and carefully carve away the layers of the shell to create the beautiful images you see.
Since the shell is not very thick to begin with, it's super easy to chip and crack the shell while the artist carve. It's really sad to see how fine cameo carving is becoming a lost art as the younger generation don't have the patience to learn such fine craftsmanship, nor the willingness to create something that would take days/weeks to create and get little in return for them.
The majority of the conch shell comes in a reddish, orangish color. Which is why most of the authentic conch shell cameo comes in a orange background with a white profile.
So here's my breakdown on how to find a real conch shell cameo:
1) Look at the color. Does it have the standard color of a conch shell? If yes, cool! Move on to step 2!
2) Flip the cameo to its back. A real conch shell cameo will always have a concave curved back. If it don't make sense, take a look at my 1st picture on top. The shell comes in a curved shape naturally, so any conch shell cameo will be curved.
3) Look out for carve marks on the cameo's back side. At times, artist leave their signatures behind the cameo like a painter does with his paintings. So if you see some squiggles on the back that look like someone vandalized/scratched it, then YAY! You found a really special cameo! *signed cameos worth more in value, by the way*
4) Flip it to the front again, look at the cameo from the side, see if it has a curve to it as well. (Make sure it has a convex curve).
5) Now this step might be sensitive depending on your situation. If allowed, gently touch the cameo with the side of your face. Real shell cameos are very cool to the touch in compared to its plastic counterparts. Especially during summer months, a plastic cameo will cook with the heat, so when you touch it, it's very warm. But the shell cameo will always feel cool/cooler. Some people use their wrists, hands, arms, but for me, it's must easier for me to tell temperature differences with my face.
6) If you have a loupe (aka jeweler's eye magnifying glass), inspect the carving of the cameo carefully. With an authentic shell cameo, there's always going to be carve marks. With profile cameos particularly, you'll see them around the neck area.
If you are STILL unsure. At this point, please take the piece to a jewelry specialist. They can give you better insights. There is 1 more test you can do, but depending on the material of the cameo, it might hurt it.
7) Heat up the tip of the needle with fire and gently pin an area of the cameo that's not very obvious. A plastic cameo will melt/crack immediately and you'll see a little hole on the cameo. But a real conch shell, bone, or ivory cameos will be harmless.
Well, that's it on what I know so far with conch shell cameos! I'm sure a lot of you will have your own method of testing real shell cameos, so don't be shy! Leave a comment below!
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Ciao~
Angela
First 2 pictures are sourced from: http://www.designerjewelrybyronaldo.com/cameo.html
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