Featured Jet cameos?

I’m 90% sure these are true Whitby jet and 2nd half of 19th century. Am I correct in these assumptions? Are they rightly called cameos? And is this a thistle or rose?

 

@Bronwen

 

It's a poppy. So may be for remembrance. I'd not call it a cameo, but Bronwen is the expert.

Test for true jet is to very gently rub it on a piece of unglazed porcelain. If it leaves a black smear, it's jet.

 

A poppy, even better. I’d not considered that. The raw porcelain test is exactly what I did. Nicely black. Thanks!

 

The trick is to always look at the leaves, the flower can be misleading.

 

The small ones are forget me nots I think.

Strictly speaking, I think a cameo is any image where the carving is raised off the background. But I agree, wait for Bronwen

 

They are, another typically Victorian meaningful flower.

 

Poppy:



Rose:



The very nice (she says enviously) bracelet is jet with a jet cameo of a not entirely anatomically correct rose.

The studs are outside my realm. Even though in some ways they satisfy the definition of a cameo, they would not generally be regarded as such. The two are identical, so mass produced. Possibly vulcanite/similar(?) set in jet frame. Suspect flowers are just artist's design but something like forget-me-nots.

 

Thank you Bronwen for your expertise. The cameo is actually the center of a collar necklace. Has a clasp marked 9c.

Can anyone narrow down the date for it?

 

Leaves are key. It's a double poppy not fully open, never ever a rose. Rose leaves are shorter, wider, not dagger edged like the ones on that carving. The veining is all wrong, too. And rose leaves are held in pairs with a single at the end of the shoot, either five or seven in total. There's also a floppy poppy bud there.

 

Without looking closely I always just assumed it was a rose but I think you are correct. The leaves don’t look right for roses to me either.

The cuff buttons are 1870-1890. Not sure of the necklace but thinking the same.

 

In my experience, botany & ornithology are not the strong suits of cameo carvers. I would not conclude the details are accurate.

 

Doesn’t make much difference in value I wouldn’t think. I can always just call it floral.

 

And very pretty it is. Many jet cameos are actually a molded piece in a jet frame. You can see where this one was worked.

That clasp must be the devil unless you have a maid to do it for you.