Featured How to pop out a cameo out of 18K earring?

So I almost didn't buy these because the cameos looked newer. And my close up glasses aren't working, so I was going blind on markings. Broken on one side the metal is not heavy, but it's 18K so thinking my best best is to pop the cameo out somehow. I supposed the cameo is glued in. Thoughts?

Shown on a scale, I understand the gold weight will be less once the cameos are out.

Would I just pull the gold back somehow? They are broken already with that piece missing so I honestly think these are scrap.

 

Nice find Lucille...!!!!

 

What would you do with the cameos if you could get them out intact? Marked for Naples, the home turf of the modern shell cameo. Probably 1960s, at the oldest. They are not bad examples for their time & size. Still, if it were my call, think I would have no trouble sacrificing them & scrapping the gold, especially at current gold prices. Much better cameos than these are being evicted from their mounts for that reason.

 

If I can get the cameos out intact, I'll save them for sure. I wouldn't normally scrap the gold on something like this, but one of the pedals (for lack of a better word) has gone missing, so the damage is possibly why they were donated.

Any reason it would make sense to sell these "as is" on Ebay. Do you think the cameos add any value? Hard to price though as you can't really measure the gold easily with the cameos in there.

 

On the right one top pedal was cut off,the bottom was poorly soldered on possibly an earlier try to repair the piece. Can't see enough on the left cameo it may have been repaired also.

 

I've read every post on Bronwen's Cameo thread..........
so having gained a decent appreciation for a well carved cameo........ these ain't them !

I'll bet if u list them...questions will follow about the gold weight.....

 

I honestly can't imagine interest in them except for the melt value.

Not enough for someone to buy them with a view to having the missing petal replaced, just too costly now.

I tried to get a sense of what the weight of the cameos alone would be. Looking over the cameos I can lay my hands on readily, found an unset one that is probably about the same size as your 2 together & weighed it: 2.6g. If anything, it is probably a little heavier than the total weight of yours, which I'm guessing are very thin.

I suspect scrap gold buyers think they're pretty good at estimating how much gold/non-gold an item contains if you give them measurements & weight. Give 'em the facts you know & let them make the calculation. At the moment, the melt value of 2.2 grams of 18K gold is over $200.

 

BTW, do you have the clutches for the posts?

 

I'd think 14k.....if they were there......

 

May have started out that way, but anyone who wears post earrings knows what can happen over time. I know too well.

 

me as well...... from selling..... not wearing though..!!

 

The clutches on these were that cheap kind. The clear harder plastic circles with metal in the middle. So obviously replaced.

 

IMHO, you're thinking too hard about this. Your first idea was right, pull off the gold for scrap and sell it. I would also save the cameos if they're not damaged in getting the gold off. You never know when a nice craft project might present itself. However, that type of thinking is why my basement is so full of stuff.

I would do what Davey said and soak in warm water to loosen the cameos. If that does't work, look in the tool box for a thin blade and pry the cameos out. Talk to them and let them know that if they don't pop out easily, you're going for the hammer.

 

Follow-up. Just as an experiment tried soaking these in water. No success. Then DH said try, "acetone". Since we didn't care about the cameos I said to try it. No success. Finally just cut the metal, it came off nicely. It sold more or less instantly on Ebay and I included the cameos for the buyer. It's the first time I had to disassemble gold. Usually I'm selling intact. Since damaged made the decision easy.

Before:



After:

 

Great! Glad to see that it turned out well for you. Good idea to let the buyer decide what to do with the cameos.

 

congrats Lucille, great score