What is a cameo?
In its literal sense as with acting means a facsimile of a person, cameos were a popular form of art before the days of photographs.
The Romans and later the Italians particularly in and around Naples were very keen on making cameos from the local nautilus shells, found in the local Mediterranean Sea, as indeed sometimes from the local coral too.
What they discovered was with the shell and indeed with materials like sardonyx one could cut through one layer of colour to reveal a darker colour behind making great contrast and giving a 3 dimensional effect to the cameo. With a combination of local material and talented skill these were produced on an industrial scale, we are sure we all recall the 1970s where no nice girl didn't wear a cameo brooch on a green velvet 2 piece. or long evening dress.
Fashions come and go in antiques, jewellery and clothes but in particularly the classical cameos are very sought after and are miniature works of art.
Worth searching for and bear in mind not all cameos are made of shell.
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