Antique Cameo

[adorablelilme107]

Has anyone seen this cameo the only thing printed on it is sterling.. It is real shell I just cant figure out who it is or what it might be worth... I thought it looked alot like Antinous Vertumnus but cant find one of him faced like that..

 

[glitterata]

It could be the goddess Flora, judging from the flowers in her hair. I''d say it''s from the later part of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th. Most of those cameos depict goddesses & mythological figures, or occasionally biblical scenes; they''re generally not portraits of particular people. Yours looks nicely carved. I''ve seen similar cameos sell for $100-$300. Hope this helps.

 

[LGK]

Most cameos are from Italy. Yes, early 1900s to 1920 would be an excellent guess on age. The nose is very well defined; most newer ones are pointy at the tip and not well done- that's the quickest way to tell a new (or poorly done) cameo. The workmanship is lovely with nice detailing which is what you look for in a cameo. The Roman mythology motif was very popular as a cameo design in the Victorian period- this one is a bit later than that though, I think, which makes it a bit unusual. The clasp will assist in dating more precisely. If it is a C clasp (no safety device at all) this is the oldest style and was used through 1890. The next style is not like today's safety clasps but is nevertheless a variety of safety clasp- it just looks and moves differently... sorry, they're hard to describe! That would date it from 1900-1930ish. Then came the modern style safety clasp like all of today's brooches have.

It would be more valuable if it were in white gold, of course, but the Roman motif and nice workmanship and pretty filigree nevertheless make it a lovely cameo- books on cameo values are vastly inflated vs. what they actually sell for. In an antique mall it would likely be priced in the $100-$200 range and expect to sell; perhaps on the higher end, since it is a Roman motif and not a typical profile, but not much more with it being in sterling and not gold. A book would place the value higher probably, but like I said, cameo price guides are a quite high based on what is actually saleable these days.

Pretty piece! I'd put it on a velvet choker and wear it. I have one that looks very similar, but in white gold, that I wear that way. Is it convertible- like it has a loop that flips down to wear as a pendant, and a pin? Most of the oldest ones are constructed like that.

It might be a particular Roman goddess, but it's hard to tell- not sure what is in her hair, flowers? If it is flowers it's probably not meant to be a particular goddess- sometimes you'll see some like Diana with the crescent moon on her brow or something, but often it's just a generic Roman figure. If it's a particular type of fruit in her hair, like grapes or something, that might be a clue that it is intended to be a particular goddess and not just a generic Roman lady.

 

[jewelerman]

I really like the quality of carving on this cameo!The detail is excellant and the features in the face,hair and flora are detailed...the round nose is a sign of a quality hand carved cameo...i agree that it dates late 19th to very early 20th mainly because of the use of sterling and the open lace work on the sides...because its in sterling i think it was probably a tourist piece from Italy where most quality shell cameos have been carved for hundreds of years...Someone picked it up for themselves or as a gift while in Italy...sterling made the souvineir more affordable.. and silver was popular in jewelry during this period. I believe the cameo is in the $300-400 range for replacement.Remenber to store it alone in a fabric box and keep away from purfume or direct hitting...shell scratches very easy.Dont store in very cold, extra hot or wet areas ( or a bank box for long periods of time...shell can discolor,crack or shrink with time.)(