Buyers Guide to Cameo Jewelry [Custom, Antique, Fashion]
Cameo jewelry can be either be a cheap fashion accessory, a valuable antique or a highly prized work of art hand carved in gemstone or shell cameo by a highly skilled artist. Custom made to order cameos can be carved with portraits of people or pets from your photographs. Other cameos often have classical scenes or stylized portraits of women.
This guide is organized to focus on the higher quality, made-to-order, cameos first. One expert tip is to sort by price when you search for cameo jewelry. By default search results focus on the highest volume, cheapest offers first. So a search for buy cameo jewelry will return pages of cheap plastic cameos. Click on the Sort by: Price-High to Low and you will see the finest quality cameos first.
Is my Cameo Jewel Valuable?
I cannot value your Cameo.
I am often asked this question, however, I do not buy or sell cameos in the marketplace. I make my own cameo jewelry.
I always ask "Is the cameo signed ?" Skilled artists always signs their work. Look carefully to see if your cameo is signed. This may be small and hard to find.
Do a search on the name or initials of the signature. What is the result? Some cameo carvers are well known and signed cameos are valuable. Hardstone cameos ( Agate, Gemstones ) are more highly valued than the softer Shell cameos.
Modern signed cameos by premium artist cameo carvers will be tomorrow's valuable cameos. Lower value cameos that are not signed are often carved by a number of people on an assembly line in Italy to satisfy the tourist trade.
Are they present, do they enhance the portrait, flatter it or overwhelm by being too large or showy? Pearls are a perfect compliment to the subtle colors of cameos. White, pink or black pearls work very well as accents.
In Italy, there are artisans who carve coral into cameos. The most highly prized are carved into a deep red coral known as Noble coral. White coral is called bianco, pink-white is pelle de angelo, pale rose rosa pallido, bright rose rosa vivo, red rosso, cherry red rosso scuro and the darkest red carbonetto or ariscuro.
Cheap, plentiful, made on a production line. Shell cameos are often carved by a team of carvers.
Cameos Old & New 4th Edition is the best single resource on cameos. Diana Jarrett has updated the original classic by Anna M. Miller. Released in 2009. Available from 
Gareth David Eckley has won many accolades for my custom Jewelry design and gemstone carving. These include major national awards from prestigious national organizations.
