Does grandma or great-grandma have a box of old jewelry stashed away? It's time to rummage for forgotten treasure.
Your mission: Cameos — of any shape or size.
Why do you want them?
So you can turn them into one of this season's hottest accessories: Cameo rings.
(Obviously, if you find a big, beautiful brooch, you'll want to wear it just like that — in all its original glory.)
What you need is a pendant that's too small to make a statement in today's big-bling world. Or a pretty earring that sadly has lost its mate.
With a snip of metal here and a bit of glue there, you can attach the cameo to a ring base and give it brand new life.
Don't fret if you happen to come from a cameo-deprived family. Reproduction rings are available at all price points, from retailers that run the gamut from Kohl's to Brodkey's.
For a more hand-crafted look, check out the artisan website www.etsy.com, which offers a wide variety of cameo rings made from both new and repurposed materials.
Another option is to visit an antique, vintage or thrift shop. Or, check out one of the many estate and garage sales that are a spring staple in the greater Omaha area.
TREASURE OR COPY?
Tips for identifying antique (pre-1910) and vintage (1910-1960) cameos.
The motif on the cameo can provide a timeframe for its origin. The woman's face on a cameo became popular in the mid-1800s; before that, it was more common to use classical, cherubic or angelic motifs. The “cameo habille” (with a tiny necklace or earrings added to the image after carving) did not become fashionable until the late 1800s. In Victorian days, it was the height of fashion among the wealthy to have a cameo commissioned in the likeness of the wearer, much like a portrait. These days, it's possible to have a cameo quickly produced with any motif (such as from a photo of a favorite pet).
During the 19th century, cameos hand-carved from shell or mother-of-pearl were popular, as were those molded from glass. In the 20th century, the invention of plastics, such as Bakelite, made it possible to sell mass-produced cameos at the dimestore. (The current rage for everything 1950s makes many of these more collectible than the earlier Victorian styles.)
Examine the lady's features for clues on when a cameo was carved. An upswept hairstyle indicates a late 19th-century cameo, while shorter curls came into fashion during the crimped-hair fad of the 1920s and 1930s. A long Roman nose (straight or slightly turned down) was the style before 1850; after that, carvers preferred a nose that was slightly upturned. By the turn of the last century, the nose was even more pert.
A cameo is likely to be older (and more valuable) if it has been carved in one piece, rather than assembled from different materials and glued together.
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