Cameo Jewellery All You Ever Wanted to Know About
by Anika Pathak jewelry designer & author
Overview The beauty and charm of cameos is undeniable. There are few who can escape the immense gorgeousness of cameo jewellery. These are usually pieces that are hand crafted portraits of animals or people. These tend to be three dimensional and have a unique style and appeal to them. They have a certain vintage charm that lends them timeless grace and appeal. Cameo jewellery is usually made from conch shells that are multicolored or from bonded agate. This is a material that is immensely hard and durable. It is very strong and under normal circumstances can withstand long intervals of time. If properly maintained, cameo jewellery can last a considerable amount of time. These feature a gorgeous coming together of strength and art in an unprecedented and an uncommon fashion.
Making the Jewellery What lends this kind of jewellery its unique charm and appeal is the gorgeousness and the beauty of its design and craft. It is carved with great caution, skill and intricacy. Cameo jewellery is not only a spectacle of the art and skill of the jewellery maker but also of the craftsman that has delicately carved the pieces of conches or agates to give them the appearance of human or animal portraits. The layers of colors are determined when the craftsmen carving the piece selects the layer of conch or agate to work with. A design is then created specifically for that layer of conch shell. The layers unfold a beauty of colors as the carver proceeds with carving the piece of conch or agate. The finished cameo appears to be a three dimensional piece and has a spectacular and wonderful luster to this which is complemented by the depth and intensity of color that the carving brings forward.
Play of Colors The darker colors are usually seen being featured in the background while the lighter shades tend to be in the forefront. The cameos that are made with conch shells usually have an intense and rich coral color to them which is featured in the background. This color tends to become a creamy and an almost white layer at the upper surface. In contrast with this, the cameos made with agate tend to have a blue background and a light and white image that is almost milky in color. However, these colors can vary since every cameo is handcrafted.
Cameo History The art of cameo engraving can be traced as far back as the second and first centuries B.C., to the ancient GrecoRoman empires, where cameos enjoyed a golden age. The decline of the Roman Empire, however, brought with it a period of dormancy for cameo development. It was not until the Fifteenth Century, during
the Renaissance, that cameos resurfaced as an art form and medium for jewelry. The Medici family of Florence, great patrons of the arts, is credited with restoring cameos as jewelry. At about the same time, a very high quality agate mine was discovered in southern Germany. This region soon became the center of cameo technology and by the beginning of the 19th century possessed the most important agate deposits in the world. Over the past one hundred years, this area pioneered, and is largely responsible for developing and refining, the techniques used to carve and color today's cameos
Conclusion There are a number of unique jewellery designs that can be seen featured in cameo jewellery. Many
fashion jewelry wholesaler and jewellery manufacturers have entered the cameo jewellery market to meet the immense popularity for this kind of jewelry.