Dimensions Carnelian Cameo: 41mm x 32mm.
Total length with the hook: 47mm.
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Broche-Pendant Cameo 41mm
145,00 €
Pendant-broche Carnelian shell Cameo, carving with the portrait of a Belle Époque young lady set on sterling silver gold plated.ο
1 in stock
About Cameo
In our jewelry collection you will find two types of shells with cameo carving. The carnelian shell and the sardonyx shell and three types of agate in blue, green and black. These are the most common and to be precise there are cases where cameo carvings are found on the mother of pearl,turquoise, coral etc.
The carnelian shell is one of the most common shells with a mainly orange or peach background. The portrait highlighted by the cameo carving is mainly beige. The raw material is found in the seas of South Africa and Madagascar.
The sardonyx shell is a more valuable raw material and is preferred for higher quality cameo carvings and more expensive jewelry. It has a brown tint or very dark brown while the portrait is always white and is usually found in Caribbean waters.
The cameo carving is handmade and performed mainly by experienced craftsmen at the world famous cameo sculpture center Torre del Greco located in southern Italy at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. The shells are first marked in a process called a signature, and then cut into oval spaces for the engraver. The real cameo is cut mainly with a metal scraping tool called a bulino, an invention of the Jewish craftsman Antonio Cimeniello. When the details are complete, the shell is then soaked in olive oil, cleaned with soap and water and polished selectively with a hand brush.
The jewelry that the cameo carving is made on agates is made by high quality engravers for this and their final form is perfect, and is usually tied on 18k gold to have a unique result.
Our pearls come from freshwater shells, are grown in estuaries and closed lagoons, we call them fresh water pearls or river and are produced in China and Japan.
