French Victorian shell cameo brooch in gold mounting

Antique jewelry object group: cameo brooch

Condition: excellent condition
  -  (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: France or Belgium (see explanation on hallmarks further in text)

Style: Victorian - Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a regrettable excess of ornament. The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era.
  -  See also: Victorian or more info on styles

Period: ca. 1850
  -  (events and facts in 1850)

Theme: lady with pearl necklace and with feathers in hair

Material: 18K yellow gold
  -  (more info on precious metals)

Technique: Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner. It features a raised (positive) relief image. There are three main materials for Cameo carving; Shells or Agate (called a Hardstone cameo), and glass. Cameos can be produced by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting colour. This is called an assembled cameo. Alternately, a cameo can be carved directly out of a material with integral layers or banding, such as (banded) agate or layered glass, where different layers have different colours. Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colours. Cameos are often worn as jewellery. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in Greece dating back as far as the 6th century BC. They were very popular in Ancient Rome, and one of the most famous stone cameos from this period is the Gemma Claudia made for the Emperor Claudius. The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early Renaissance, and again in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

Extra information: Long pin - This brooch has a long pin, non unusual for antique brooches. but significant longer pin than those of modern brooches. This was done specially for safety reasons. How to use a long pin in the way it is meant to be, check the following link: explanation on how to pin up a brooch with a long pin.

Precious stones: cameo
  -  (more info on precious stones)

Hallmarks: The control mark here represents a horse’s head and was in use in Belgium from 1831 and in France from about 1838.
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: 4,70 cm (1,85 inch) x 4,00 cm (1,57 inch)

Weight: 8,20 gram (5,27 dwt)

Reference Nº: 14287-0080

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry

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