Featured Help on ID this Cameo

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by Enmanuel Elias, Aug 29, 2019.

  1. My mom got this Cameo and we’d like to know anything related , it has some engraved in the back that i think it says something I can’t identify , haven’t make Any gold test yet and I’d like to know what kind of cameo is and who’s the person in it , material or anything , I put the measures in it 9BAC1431-3E81-4DA0-A3E3-D5B0C2B9C828.jpeg 6C982499-9E16-4B89-9897-FDA8BDD115BB.jpeg 1E749A81-F9E2-4EBD-879D-A831278B7E95.jpeg 6075D731-BDFA-48E2-A993-952CCDCC806A.jpeg 7B7F92D1-7F2D-407D-93D9-C465DA9DCE23.jpeg CC02AB79-1866-41DC-B51E-4619D1B5CD78.jpeg 4E8A8D84-8FBA-4EAA-B829-372D18117F93.jpeg
     
  2. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    She looks like Athena. Beyond that ... oh @Bronwen !!!!???
     
  3. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    That's very nice............ carved shell....& gotta be gold...right ???
     
  4. bluumz

    bluumz Quite Busy

    20th century carved shell cameo of the goddess Athena. If the setting is not marked you will have to test it and see what karat gold it may be. I’ve seen some lovely cameos set in low karat gold or gold filled, and some rather ugly ones set in 14k.
    Very pretty!
     
    kyratango, sabre123, Bronwen and 5 others like this.
  5. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Nice piece. As evelyb30 said, Athena/Minerva, helmet shell. Cameo would have been cut in Italy; probably set elsewhere, US or UK. Judging by both the exuberance of the depiction & design of the findings, a mid-20th century piece. The basic image is the ever popular Athena wearing scaled armor & a satyr-faced helmet. However, this artisan added a lion gnawing on the pate of the satyr & then gave the beast a flowing tail more like the horse tail crest sometimes attached to her helmet.

    While looking for something comparable in my photo files, found this case of not knowing when to stop:

    Transgender Athena 1.JPG
     
  6. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    wow, I was so surprised by the mermaid, I nearly missed the beard. :joyful:
     
  7. bluumz

    bluumz Quite Busy

    LOL, OP's cameo reminds me of the rather over-the-top Athena I acquired recently:


    cameoathena1.jpeg
     
  8. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Whenever you see this riotous mixture of attributes on a well-known classical image, you can be pretty sure the cameo is 20th century, even if there is no setting to provide additional clues.
     
  9. kyratango

    kyratango Bug jewellery addiction!

    Very nice piece, substantial and fine carving:woot:
     
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  10. hamptonauction

    hamptonauction Well-Known Member

    Bronwen As promised here is my large cameo. The construction is very similar to Enmanuels cameo above. It measures 2.5 in x 2 in (64mm x 50mm), 14 K gold. Unfortunately, she was dropped at some point in her life. I'm sure it's worth has been greatly compromised. Andy

    cameo large 1.jpg

    cameo large 2.jpg

    cameo large 4.jpg

    cameo large 5.jpg

    cameo large 3.jpg
     
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  11. hamptonauction

    hamptonauction Well-Known Member

    ...and here is the ring, it's 14 k gold, unfortunately, the heavy robust mount is not very attractive for a cameo, IMHO.

    cameo ring 1.jpg

    cameo ring 2.jpg

    cameo ring 3.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2019
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  12. Hollyblue

    Hollyblue Well-Known Member

    Someone removed the bail and pin from a pendant and soldered the cameo setting onto a males "signet" ring.
     
  13. hamptonauction

    hamptonauction Well-Known Member

    Good eyes, I missed that, all makes sense now.
    Thank you.
     
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  14. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    She's a lovely bacchante. Very nice use of the color layers & like the way the bodice of her dress resembles large petals. Probably dates 1920 - 1940.

    She may have taken a knock, although I see just the slightest hint of a ding to the frame. Sometimes thin background layers crack from dryness & pressure created by the bezel. She could use a cleaning, which may minimize the appearance of the cracks too.

    Holly tells you true. The cameo is undistinguished. If you ever have better use for the gold, I wouldn't feel guilty for melting it down. The bacchante is the much better piece.
     
    kyratango likes this.
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