The Brooch and Pin Cufflink Gallery, your antique brooch experts. (...)

Victorian Shell Cameo of Woman

Stately Woman Carved in Shell

A simple but classic Victorian shell cameo of a woman with long hair tresses and diadem. This cameo is carved in shell and set in a plain yellow gold frame (10 - 11 karat). The detail of the carving is quite nice and the condition very good. There is very slight crazing at the nine to ten o'clock position (very minor).
A nice feature of this cameo is the artist's use of multiple colored layers of the shell to create depth and dimension. The background is a soft light orange and the body of the woman and her clothing is white, with subtle accents of orange in her hair and dress.
Cost: Although this beautiful brooch has sold, you will find many more fine brooches in the Antique Brooch Gallery.

Measurements: This cameo brooch is 2" high and 1.625" wide.

From the back, you can see the small crazing (at the three to four o'clock position in this view) which we pointed out in the top side. When purchasing cameos, you should always hold them up to light and examine for crazing (small hairlines) and cracks. Crazing and cracking is the result of dehydration and aging. If you like a cameo that has crazing, the price should reflect the extent of the crazing.
In the case of our cameo here, the crazing is very minor and has affected the value by approximately 20%. If this cameo did not have any crazing at all, it's price would be approximately $525 .
To protect your cameos from dehydration and crazing, try to store them in a ziplock bag or in a room that has a humidifier. Also, you can gently rub a clear mineral oil on the surface (front and back) of your cameo.....but make sure to use a CLEAR mineral oil so as not to discolor the image.
You can also see that the frame is of simple construction and the pin has a traditional Victorian "C" clasp.

Here are a few more elegant jewels from the past ...

Ask a Question Facebook Page Make a Purchase


		Antique Jewelry Gallery Antique Brooch Gallery If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, I can be reached at 978 525-8951 or arthur@jewelryexpert.com. Or, if you prefer snail mail, my postal address is: Arthur Anderson PO Box 1448 Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944-0870
		"The Jewelry Experts" and "The Jewelry Expert" are Trade Marks of Bijoux Extraordinaire, Ltd. © Copyright Arthur Anderson 1998 - 2023 All Rights Reserved