Below are some examples and price guides of amber cameos including an Italian reverse cameo pin and a beaded cameo necklace.

An Italian antique style 18k gold and amber reverse carved cameo pin. Features a cabochon carved amber cameo depicting the profile of a young female figure with flowing hair and flower, measuring approximately 30mm x 22mm, set in an ornate and elaborately framed 18k yellow gold mount, featuring a top bale measuring 5mm. Marked MADE IN ITALY ROMA 750. Total approximate weight 13 grams.

Sold for US$325 at Hill Auction Gallery in 2023

Vintage 14Kt White Gold Cameo, Diamond, Emerald & Amber Beaded Necklace. Measures approx. – 18″ long. Weight approx. – 23.7 dwt.

Sold for US$550 at Antiques & Art International in 2023

Intaglio cut amber fairy pendant with silver mount and center diamond, in original box marked Zlatarna, Roberto-Studio, Dubrovnik. Size: 2 x 1.5 in.

Sold for US$100 at Americana Auctions in 2023

An Ancient 18K Gold and Amber Intaglio Ring

Hand carved ring with flowing filigree designs, containing one oval shape carved Amber intaglio measuring 24.5 x 18 mm and depicting a Classical Greco-Roman scene of a man and woman in a romantic scene. Weight: 8.3 grams
Ring Size: 7.5 Condition: Overall very good condition.

Sold for US$550 at Alma in 2023

Classical Style Gold Ring Set with Amber Intaglio Ibex or Gazelle

approximate ring size 6-1/2, testing at least 22K.

Sold for US$750 at Leland Little in 2023

The post Amber appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Information on agate including it’s use in cameo carving. Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstone carving, and has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world, for example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze Age Minoan culture.

The post Agate Semi-precious Gemstone appeared first on Antique Cameos.

The pastel shades of turquoise have endeared it to many great cultures of antiquity: it has adorned the rulers of Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs (and possibly other Pre-Columbian Mesoamericans), Persia, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and to some extent in ancient China since at least the Shang Dynasty. Despite being one of the oldest gems, probably first introduced to Europe (through Turkey) with other Silk Road novelties, turquoise did not become important as an ornamental stone in the West until the 14th century, following a decline in the Roman Catholic Church’s influence which allowed the use of turquoise in secular jewellery. It was apparently unknown in India until the Mughal period, and unknown in Japan until the 18th century. A common belief shared by many of these civilizations held that turquoise possessed certain prophylactic qualities; it was thought to change colour with the wearer’s health and protect him or her from untoward forces. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Turquoise Semi-precious Gemstone appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Sardonyx is a banded variety of the oxide mineral chalcedony and consists of red bands. The ancient Romans entered battle carrying amulets of sardonyx engraved with Mars, the god of war. This was believed to bestow courage in battle. In Renaissance Europe, wearing sardonyx was believed to bestow eloquence. A traditional Persian belief is that it helped with epilepsy. Sardonyx was traditionally used by English midwives to ease childbirth by laying it between the breasts of the mother. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Sardonyx Semi-precious Gemstone appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Pearls have often been used to enhance cameo jewellery and other items. For thousands of years, seawater pearls were retrieved by divers in the Indian Ocean in areas such as the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar. Evidence also suggest a prehistoric origin to pearl diving in these regions. Starting in the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), the Chinese hunted extensively for seawater pearls in the South China Sea. In the 14th-century Arabian Sea, the traveller Ibn Battuta provided the earliest known description of pearl diving by means of attaching a cord to the diver’s waist. Reference: Wikipedia

Below are some examples of pearls used with cameos.

The post Pearls Information appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Information and history of sapphires used in cameo carving and as decorative elements to cameos and intaglios.

Sapphire is one of the two gem-varieties of corundum, the other being ruby (defined as corundum in a shade of red). Although blue is the best-known sapphire color, they occur in other colors, including gray and black, and they can be colorless. A pinkish orange variety of sapphire is called padparadscha. Reference: Wikipedia

The Romans were experts at cameo carvings and there are examples of carved sapphire cameos dating from the 1st century.

The post Sapphires appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Information and history of ruby cameos and cameos surrounded by rubies. Rubies are excellent gemstones for surrounding cameos. They are especially attractive when mounted in gold, as in the gold, ruby and diamond cameo pendant below. In addition they can be used for cameo engraving.

Rubies are one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Rubies appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Information on chalcedony and its use in cameos and cameo carving. Chalcedony is a type of quartz that occurs in several different forms including onyx and agate. It has a waxy luster, and may be semitransparent or translucent. It can assume a wide range of colors, but those most commonly seen are white to gray, grayish-blue or a shade of brown ranging from pale to nearly black. The color of chalcedony sold commercially is often enhanced by dyeing or heating. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Chalcedony appeared first on Antique Cameos.

Information on shell cameos. Although occasionally used in Roman cameos, the earliest prevalent use of shell for cameo carving was during the Renaissance, in the 15th and 16th centuries. Before that time, cameos were carved from hardstone. The Renaissance cameos are typically white on a grayish background and were carved from the shell of a mussel or cowry, the latter a tropical mollusk.

In the mid 18th century, explorations revealed new shell varieties. Helmet shells (Cassis tuberosa) from the West Indies, and queen conch shells (Eustrombus gigas) from the Bahamas and West Indies, arrived in Europe. This sparked a big increase in the number of cameos that were carved from shells. Conch shells carve very well, but their color fades over time.

After 1850 demand for cameos grew, as they became popular souvenirs of the Grand Tour among the middle class. Reference: Wikipedia

Shell cameos are much easier to cut than those made from gemstones. Also, the raw material is cheaper and easier to acquire. They were popular in the 16th century and then again in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the passion for carved gemstones led to a parallel explosion in the market for cheaper shell cameos. They are still popular today.  Reference: Victoria & Albert Museum

The post Shell Cameos information appeared first on Antique Cameos.

The cut of diamonds used in jewellery can help identify the age of the piece as many cuts are now no longer used although some cuts are making a comeback in fashion. The website Brilliant Earth has more information the different cuts.

The post Diamond Precious Gemstone appeared first on Antique Cameos.