The cameo is perhaps one of the most recognizable designs in the world of jewelry with roots dating back all the way to the time of the ancient Greeks. However, while the design is thousands of years old, there are no known examples of cameo jewelry past the time of the Romans.
But today, the market is literally flooded with thousands of vintage cameos from the 19th century. Napoleon helped renew the popularity of the cameo design when he wore a coronation crown studded with the ornately crafted design. Popularity reached its peak in the Victorian Era with the queen herself actually known to have designed a piece or two in her day. Today, the ubiquitous design can be found on virtually every type of jewelry, including:
By and large, a cameo can be identified by the portrait which adorns each and every piece and this should be the starting point for any value determination. Set upon a flat plaque, the portrait really is critical to value determination. Cheaper cameos will have a molded portrait while your more valuable pieces will be carved. Common characteristics of the really cheap molded versions are: light weight, shiny, and blended colors. There are some examples, however, of natural materials being used in molded versions.
Although there are a few exceptions, molded pieces should actually be avoided at all costs. Separating the good-looking knock-offs from the real deal is the key to collecting for profit. Mold marks or ridges of some kind will be found on the back of your cheaper glass cameos. Although the imitation pieces can be of exceptionally high quality, it is possible to identify them by carefully studying the portraits.
Carved pieces tend to command greater value because the materials are more valuable and they are far more expensive to manufacture. Many valuable cameos are carved out of shells but their plastic imitators are so good these days that it almost takes a jewelry expert to identify the valuable carved versions. You are looking for the shell cameos featuring a pair of colors, precise carve lines, and a thin back.
Other materials commonly used to create the more valuable cameos are abalone, mother-of-pearl, and agate. Abalone and mother-of-pearl carved cameos also have great detailing but will tend to be thicker and have a flat back when compared to the shell versions. Relatively flat and multi-colored due to its layering, agate is a very popular material used to make some of the more valuable carved cameos.
But at the end of the day, the really valuable carved pieces will be made from stone, which can sometimes be imitated quite well using glass. The only way to really separate the glass imitators from the real stone pieces is to look carefully at the space between the portrait and flat plaque. Unlike the glass imitators, the stone pieces will be under-carved at the point where the plaque and portrait meet. The stone pieces are gems in the cameo collecting world but they are rare so be careful not to be fooled by an imitator.
Despite the thousands of imitations flooding the market, there are still plenty of carved cameos out there—and the best part, most are under-priced. Just learn how to identify those fashioned from man-made materials so you can focus on the carved pieces—where the big profit potential really lies for the serious collector!
Vintage Costume Jewelry: The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift Or The Start Of A New Hobby?
Mother’s Day is just around the corner already but what do you get the person who already has the fancy watches, diamond earrings, etc?
Finding Valuable Vintage Cameos
Although people tend to think of the cameo as a Victorian design, the fact is that it dates all the way back to the times of ancient Greece. In fact, some believe the enduring nature of the cameo design may be due in part to a dictator named Napoleon Bonaparte.
Warning: That Cameo Might Be Molded!
Don’t even think about buying a cameo before knowing how to tell the difference between the carved and molded versions. Carved cameos will appreciate in value while the molded counterparts will almost certain depreciate.
