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Cameo Jewellery , Antique Cameos and Vintage Cameos, cameo brooches and cameo rings. Most of these cameos are hand carved from shell and then set into a metal frame ( silver or gold). Some cameos are made from pottery such as Wedgwood cameos and some carved from coral, lava and some moulded in glass. However they are made cameos have a picture in high relief in from the background.
A wonderful cameo ring made of rose gold and fully hallmarked for 1917. This ring is set with a cameo hand carved from Angle Skin Coral. The head of the ring is about 1.6 cms wide . There is the makers mark W&T inside this ring.
This antique Cameo Ring is UK ring size M, USA size 6.25
A nice piece of antique cameo jewellery. This brooch is set in a silver tone filigree frame. The cameo has been hand carved from shell. This brooch most likely originates from Italy in the mid 1900s, it measures about 3 cms long. This broochis quite wearable but the catch is a little stiff.
Antique cameo brooch child drawing victorian jewellery
A really lovely piece of antique victorian cameo jewellery. This cameo brooch is hand carved from shell and set into a gold plated frame. The carving would have been done in Italy and is of very fine quality although there is a short crack right at the very edge close up by the frame hence the reasonable price for such a wonderful piece of jewellery.
This brooch measures about 5.5 cms long and 5.3 cms wide.
A very pretty antique cameo brooch from the early 1900s. This is made of shell set into a rolled gold frame. The shell has been carves with a beautiful lady in classical style. The brooch measures about 4 cms long
An antique cameo brooch which has been hand carved from Queen conch shell. This differs from the more usual cameo as the queen conch is a pink and white colour. This cameo has been set into a metal frame. This antique cameo brooch dates from the mid to later victorian era. It measures about 4 cms long
An interesting piece of antique cameo jewellery with an unusual subject. This cameo brooch is carved with a young Gentleman in Puritan costume. The hand carved shell cameo is set into a gold filled frame. This cameo brooch dates from the Victorian era. It measures about 5 cms long and 4 cms wide which makes it quite a large cameo brooch.
An antique cameo brooch from the Victorian era. This brooch is set in a gold toned metal frame and has an attached safety chain. The cameo depicts a classical lady and is made of glass. This brooch measures about 3.8 cms long and is in excellent condition.
Here is an antique cameo pendant depicting the Greek hero Ajax. Ajax has been carved from shell and sits in a frame which I believe is pinchbeck. This pendant measures about 2.2 cms long and comes on a gold plated chain measuring about 46 cms long.
Ajax is found in the Iliad tales of Grecian wars, he is mortal and was quite unique in that he had no help from the Gods. Ajax was a brave warrior and depicts strength and courage. Ajax is normally shown in profile and wearing a helmet just like in this piece of antique jewellery.
Antique lava cameo brooch
here is a lava cameo brooch dating from the Victorian era. This has been carved from volcanic lava in Italy and will date from the mid Victorian era. The brooch measures about 2.2 cms long.
The cameo is in excellent condition, there is a little wear to the frame but is is still very wearable as a brooch
Here is a very unusual cameo brooch dating from the victorian era. It is in the form of a classical lady who has been hand carved out of white marble. This is set into a heavy gold plated frame which fastens with a simple C catch.
The antique brooch measures about 3.3 cms wide.
Here's the very best antique Wedgwood cameo brooch I have ever seen. This cameo is designed to be worn either as a brooch or attached to a chain to wear as a pendant.
Made of Wedgwood's famous dark blue jasper dip this piece of antique jewellery has both the WEDGWOOD stamp impressed and the date letter code for 1889. Blue Jasper Dip is dark blue over a natural coloured jasper base giving a pale appearance to the reverse of this cameo. The frame is made of gold stamped 9ct however it appears that the pendant attachment only is not gold.
This is not only a beautiful example of Wedgwood cameo jewellery is it is huge measuring over 7.5 cms long and about 5 cms wide. This is in excellent clean condition for a piece of antique jewellery over 120 years old.
Cameo bracelet vintage cameo jewellery. This bracelet has 9 cameos in total with the central cameo being larger than the others. All the cameos are made from shell and will have been hand carved most likely in Italy. This bracelet measures about 18 cms long and up to 2.5 cms wide.
Here is asclepius depicted in a hand carved shell cameo and set in to an ornate pinchbeck frame. This brooch is early victorian.
Asclepius was the son of Apollo and the God of Medicine - what an excellent present for a Doctor, nurse or carer.
This cameo brooch measures about 3.5 x 2.9 cms . It fastens with a simple C catch
What is a cameo? Its a piece where the design stands proud of the background. Normally a cameos features a figure or figures. Perhaps a ladies head or a classical scene. I saw a cameo recently which simply featured a horses head. A cameo is a work of art in miniature which is meant to be worn.
A cameo can be distinguished from an intaglio which is where there design is carved into the back of the piece and then viewed from the front. Cameo carving began in ancient times however very few of the cameos we come across today date from before the Victorian era and they are still being made today. And not all cameos are carved - Some ( Like those made by Wedgwood and those made of Gutta Percha or plastics or glass) are molded.
Here is a little look at the materials that cameos are made from:
1. Shell Cameos. This is what most of the cameos we see are made of. This usually has a brown /buff background with the cameo standing proud in a paler colour. Different shells such as that of the Queen Conch give a different colour with the conch being with with pinky tones. Most of these are carved in Italy
2. Lava Cameos Carved from the Volcano mount Vesuvius in Italy. This is quite soft and easily carved giving a lot of detail to the cameo. The colour range from black, grey, though muddy brown and greenish colours to a paler cream.
3. Coral cameos Coral is a hard substance which is not easy to carve and so these are relatively rare but when done well have a lively pinky colour and a high shine. Be warned imitation coral in plastic does exist. A coral cameo with have a much colder feel than a plastic one.
4. Jasper pottery cameos A speciality of Wedgwood although they were also made by other Staffordshire potteries. These were set into all types of jewellery - cameo earrings, cameo ring and cameo brooches. The most popular colour is white on blue but a whole variation exists.
5. Glass cameo These are often created in one piece in a mould - they look like cameos but have a much greater degree of mass production than hand carved cameos. Milk glass cameos can be very attractive.
6. Hardstone cameos Made of different types of hardstone - agate and chalcedony being popular. This can give a good range of colour to the cameo as some of the hardstones have different colour layers within them.
7.Victorian Black cameos. Cameos as mourning Jewellery made from Whitby Jet, Gutta percha, French Jet ( black Glass) and bog oak
Comming here soon - more on Cameos - a look at the different subjects available. In the mean time - have you a special cameo made from a substance not mentioned here
