Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

I was thinking pocket watch display too, or an old shadow box frame. One of the proper ones, not from a craft store. It depends on the size and design of the cameo too.

 

Hello All! I was recently bequeathed this cameo and was hoping someone could help me date/identify it. I originally assumed the mark on the back was referring to Sicily as there's a family connection there, but having read through these forums it may actually be a mark of the maker Schmoll? I also wondered about the mount - it seems quite tarnished so I'm assuming it's original but I haven't seen any others that look quite like that. The reverse also has a small x carved towards the edge.

cameo front by Hugh_Jars posted Jun 10, 2026 at 12:49 PM

cameo reverse by Hugh_Jars posted Jun 10, 2026 at 12:49 PM

 

good looking ...... lucky you !!!

@Bronwen

 

Looks like it, but let's wait for Bronwen, who has been tagged.

 

Yep, Charles Schmoll, so French, 19th century. I occasionally see other marks on the backs of cameos, such as your x. Sometimes they look like Roman numerals, or stray letters. They had meaning to someone at some time, but it's lost to us. Does not affect the value either way.

Because of the flowers, we would have to consider her a Flora type, but I see her as highly influenced by conventional depictions of Apollo. She's quite nice; some of his better work.

Could we see a photo showing all the back? From the front, I think the mount could be low karat gold, which can discolor with time.

 

BTW, welcome, Hugh.

 

Let's help AI find it:

 

And thank you so much for the info! I really went down a cameo rabbit hole yesterday!

 

But you've landed safely.

Think your mount, as was very common, is not the same metal in all its parts. The decorative elements on the front do look like gold, but the underlying structure may be brass/pinchbeck.

The hinge & clasp look slightly out of alignment with each other, suggesting some repair/replacement work, also very common. Suspect the swivel bail is a later addition. Nice that it's there because these brooches with a simple C clasp are easy to lose; pendants are generally safer.

Last third of the 19th century is my best guess. I should add that where a cameo was cut & where it was set are often not the same place.

 

am I seeing a stamp on the O ring??

 

Not that I spot, but I see some jump rings that may not be soldered.

 

it's the jump ring.... but the chain behind it fooled my eyes !

 

Thank you so much, again, for all the info! I'm actually an archaeologist by trade so I'm pretty good at artefact research, but jewelry is one of those things that we very rarely find, because people tend not to throw it out/lose it so it never comes into our orbit. I couldn't find much in the way of academic writing or books on cameos either - not even a Shire publication that I could see! I may have to point some master's students towards a dissertation in it - they're a wonderful example of an organic material made art through industry. (I really went down a rabbit hole, as I said).

 

Lucky you! I have a Schmoll also, my mount is gold filled and a good 50+ years newer than the cameo, so I guess that is common

 

Shell cameos would go smoosh if buried, so they would be a rarity. I don't know where you're digging though, so who knows what turns up. All we find here in CT are camp fire burn marks and post holes. Bronwen and Pepperanna really do know cameos. I'm just a piker, although I did peg a "ponytail girl" ring as Avon today before looking at the back. (she's a dirt common costume-only design.)

 

Glad you're enjoying your visit to our little warren. People may not throw jewellery out, but they do bury it & sometimes lose it. Since North America was never occupied by Roman troops, we don't find the kind of goodies that turn up in places that once were. E.g.,

Detected big gold Roman ring

The field of glyptics is closely intertwined with archeology. Intact graves of the rich & powerful are the best source of info for dating, provenance & the dispersion of culture in the ancient world.

As evelyb30 said, a shell cameo such as yours was not likely to survive the millennia. But cameos of any sort are much less common than intaglios, and--although we know shells were being traded & carved in prehistory-- stone & glass gems are far more common than shell.

Cameos are primarily ornamental, although ones with a gorgon's head were probably apotropaic (protection against evil). On the other hand, & on the hand, an intaglio set in a ring was functional as a personal seal; the metal it was set in an indicator of status. They also had a fair chance of surviving over time. Browsing the gem impressions taken by James Tassie in the late 18th century gives one an idea of their numbers. His impressions also record the activities of gem engravers of his own time.

The English language literature on cameos from the 19th century on is not great. Some of it self-published, most of it in need of a knowledgeable editor. I gave my views in the thread we have on references, starting with this post:
Books on antique and vintage jewelry to recommend

There is quite a lot on engraved gems from earlier times. Gisela Richter, John Boardman, Charles King are some of the prominent names in that field. Also the two volumes of La collezione Paoletti.

 

do I detect kindred spirits..?


.......

 

We're both rabbits.

I suppose I should also suggest a stroll through CameoTimes.com, just for the fun of looking at pictures.

 

And for a real rabbit hole:

Eyes Have It: Are These Intaglios the Same?

"Off with your head!" will sound good if you make it all the way through.

 

I had forgotten about that one! May read it again later.