What is a cameo?

To me, cameos always symbolized class, wealth, elegance and taste. As a child, I knew the difference between a “real” cameo vs a “fake” cameo. The prior one always with carved from a shell that has a white face and red/orange background, where as the latter one, made from plastic and can include all sorts of colors.

But it wasn’t until recently that I found out, there is no such thing as a “fake” cameo. A piece of jewelry can contain a cameo as long as it features a raised image (whether a lady’s profile, a scenery, an animal, etc) that has a striking color contrast with the image’s background. So as long as it has a raised image, a cheap piece plastic costume jewelry from Hot Topic and Forever21 can be a real cameo.  

(an example of a plastic costume cameo)

What about the ones you see for sale in fine jewelry for hundreds and thousands of dollars?  What kind of cameos are they? Well, most of the “real” cameos that fine jewelry collectors collect are made with several materials:

   1 Queen Conch Shell: the most popular material used starting in the mid 18^th century.  Conch shell cameos started in Italy where cameo artists would carve popular Greek/Roman gods and goddesses. Eventually, toward the late 19^th century, personal customized shell cameos of individuals became popular amongst the upper and middle class. 

 (an example of conch shell cameo, for sale @ Solomon's Treasures)

2    Semi-precious gemstones particularly with onyx and agate: the art of cameo actually can be dated back to 3^rd century B.C.  Where the cameo artists would carve important figures for the upper class. Often times, these figures can be the royalties, generals, religious figures, and at times, husband and wife double profiles. Each stone cameo is carved with one stone. The contrast in colors is formed by the natural layer of the stone it self. In fine jewelry collection, agate and onyx cameos cost higher than conch shell cameos.

 

 (an example of agate stone cameo, for sale at Solomon’s Treasures)

3  Glass cameos: glass cameos go back to the Roman Empire era in 30BC. This type of cameo is extremely rare and each item can be stunning.  The artist fuses different layers of glass and then skillfully etches different designs on them to form beautiful items such as vases, boxes, and even jewelry.

                                     (The Portland Vase, glass cameo, 5-25A.D)

To me, I find it fascinating that each profile on a cameo is so unique! I was told that starting in the Victorian period (1837A.D), people would have their face carved onto a shell or gemstone just like the way we take modern photographs. Each cameo captures a unique part of history. They give us a glimpse to the lifestyle of people from long ago, their emotions and thoughts. They give you a tangible item that lets you see what type of clothes they wear, what kind of hairstyle they used and what kind of emotions they were experiencing when they were sitting in front of a cameo artist to have their portrait immortalized.

I’m not an expert on cameos and I’m also learning about these beautiful things as I come across them through Solomon’sTreasures. I want to share what I am learning with everyone so you can share my joy and passion for antique jewelries. Beautiful jewelries are timeless, you certainly don’t have to be an old lady or a grandpa to appreciate them! 

Stay tuned for new blogs! I think I'll post the next article on how to differentiate shell/stone cameo from plastic cameo if any of you are interested! Please visit, like, and share our website, Facebook and Google+. Feel free to leave us comments below, I would love to see/share insights with all of you! 

Ciao~
Angela