Featured Asking Opinions on $$$$ Value

When I was looking for a present, I saw this and liked it. I thought it was interesting. It's supposedly lava, in 9k gold. It's supposedly hand carved and depicts the Spanish artist Jusepe Di Ribera. The broken one I bought is far superior IMO for beauty and uniqueness.

Without looking this up. What do you think the actual value of this is? If you had money, how much would you pay for this?

I think it's a fair price if it's actually hand carved lava. But, I'm beginning to wonder if I know the difference when it comes to something being sold as hand carved lava.

 

similar but not quite.... still...

https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/estate-jewellery-sep-24-2026/gallery/lot/98/

 

Define this.

Famous artists were a staple of the lava repertory & there are lots of them around. Portraits are often based on medallions, so depictions of any given individual are very much alike.

 

u don't give size ..... & the 14 K beats your 9 K ..... so a ballpark at best !!

 

Actually quite different. Looks to me like a portrait of a real person styled with the the double flute of the Muse Euterpe. This one is definitely hand carved. It's not always so clear when it comes to the Notable Italians & their friends.

 

I will keep on learning from you , ol' wise one !!!

 

I see de Ribera spent most of his life in Naples, which may be why he got picked up by the lava workers. A naturalized Notable Italian.

 

Lo Spagnoletto looks mainly molded, with perhaps some finishing touches such as the nostrils & the space between the upper lip & mustache having been added by hand.

I'm not sure the cameo & the mount started out together. The shape of the brooch does not require a vertically mounted pin stem, and I've never seen a vertical one coupled with this type of more modern hinge. Chipping to the cameo also suggests a relocation.

 

Naples was part of the Spanish kingdom when Ribera lived and worked there.

Debora

 

I was thinking more in terms of how Neapolitan producers of lava cameos became aware of him, as he would not have been as well known to the 19th century common man as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raffaello or Dante.

Once upon a time it was a Greek colony: Neapolis.

 

You know cameos. So, I'm assuming you have an idea of it's value. People selling these things really have little to no idea what they're selling. But, they look at what others are selling similar things for, and they price accordingly.

As a collector, you would have a better idea if it's actually carved or pressed, 9k of course adds value.

You go into a store, the price tag is upside down, and you ask to see the price. In your mind you're saying "if this piece is under ???" it's a great value, and I'm going to buy it. The caveat here is, you have money to spend. Even if you don't have it in reality. For this example, you have funds. So, money isn't the issue. BUT, you don't want to pay $50000 when it's actual value is $200.

I don't think they gave a size. But, it appears to probably be about 2".

This one is much nicer than the one I posted. I wouldn't have paid $1500. But, it's beautiful.

 

As were many towns along the Mediterranean coast. Even as far away as France, f.i. Marseille was Massalia, Antibes was Antipolis. And in Spain the lesser known Catalan town of Empúries (Ampurias) was once Emporion.

 

I used to be quite good at projecting where a cameo in an eBay auction would fetch up. No longer, not in years. I have said repeatedly that the cameo market has become completely wonky.

The price of gold has been a big factor. There also seems to be a distorted idea of the value of things like genuine shell! hand carved! old! left facing! signed! The penultimate feature is completely irrelevant to value. I fear I may have had a hand in alerting sellers to examine for signatures & ask a premium for those pieces.

There's no such thing as an absolute value, only the most someone is willing to pay for it today. Guess the real question is whether it is being offered in the best venue to get it in front of the person willing to pay the most.

Personally, I probably would not buy Lo Spagnoletto at all, unless very, very cheap. If I had a special interest in de Ribera, or was trying to amass lava cameos of as many different subjects as I could find, my limit would be considerably higher. In some cases I have paid silly money to gather the Hours. Do you have a sold price for him?

 

$500. It hasn't sold. The prices are scattered because no one knows exactly what they're selling. That's not outrageously expensive if it's carved. It could be poured with some carving added later. That should remove most of the value. If it was $100 I'd have bought it. It might not even be worth that. The seller obviously doesn't know exactly what it is. Because there isn't much info listed.

 

$500 is absolutely ridiculous. Does seller think writing on the back is a signature? I've seen that plenty of times. What does the seller say it is?

 

Was looking through eBay sold cameo listings. This one gives an idea of how much of what people are, ahem, shelling out is for the gold:



Sold in August for 1,130 USD.

 

Lava, 10K, 3 cameos, pretty, wearable:



Seller asked $1,095 but took an offer.

 

This is what they wrote. There's really nothing here.
ANTIQUE 9K GOLD LAVA CAMEO BROOCH 'LO SPAGNALETTO' c1870 ARTIST JUSEPE DI RIBERA

An antique Italian solid 9k gold (tests therabouts) brooch, holding a detailed, hand carved lava cameo in high relief, depicting the Spanish artist Jusepe Di Ribera, known as Lo Spagnaletto (the little Spaniard) in Italy.

Lovely quality, very wearable and so collectible !

CONDITION: All original and generally very good. Slight signs of wear commensurate with age and use. Minimal detail wear to carving. Small chip to edge of carving under bezel - see pics. Mount probably later

DATE/MARKS: Around 1870. Engraved 'Lo Spagnoletto' to the reverse.

DIMENSIONS: 56 x 47 mm (1 inch = 25.4 mm).

WEIGHT: Approx. 32.4 grams.

They do say hand carved, yet it might not be. Hand carved adds value. The 9k gold takes part of the price. I don't think enough of the price to warrant $500. This is roughly the price that most "supposed" hand carved lava cameos are set for the asking. When they're much nicer, they're closer to $1000 and higher.

This is gorgeous, but it's not something I'd pay anywhere near that amount. I imagine they probably got $800 or so. The gold alone would be quite a bit.

 

I know 2 sellers who use this particular locution, both in England, both always asking top dollar.

Ah, yes, my first guess. Did you see item # 366558066864 from the same seller? Different kettle of fish with quite a different price. It is hand carved. Pretty sure.

 

That piece is magnificent. I wouldn't pay that price though.
This is a nice one that's priced accordingly. It's 20k gold.

It can be yours for just $27,000 or Best Offer. It is magnificent. But, $27,000 magnificent, not in my opinion.