Vintage Jewelry Trends and Care Pointers: Part I Shell Cameos

August, 2006
There has been a trend lately, after a period of stagnation, toward and increasing popularity of vintage shell cameos. Remember When Vintage Jewelry has been selling cameos online for about 10 years has experienced a range of buying cycles. The standard popular times of the year are Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. However, for no particular reason I can see, vintage shell cameo sales have been on the upswing and prices realized on both auction and websites have generally been higher as well.

For those interested in learning more about these lovely pieces, a favorite cameo reference book is "Cameos, Old & New" 2nd edition, Anna M. Miller, Gemstone Press in Woodstock VT. , published in 1998. It provides the best descriptions of shell, stone and lava cameos and the history of them. It's particularly valuable for dating and identifying the Roman/Greek gods and goddess carvings. The mythological themed ones are the best sellers and "Cameos, Old & New" provides great information on the symbology of these desirable pieces, e.g. butterfly for Psyche, bow and arrow for Cupid and so on.

Cleaning: If a shell cameo is dirty, use a soft tooth brush and a very mild soap with no additivse. Either baby shampoo or plain dish washing liquid is fine, with an emphasis on NO additives. Brush gently across the surface of the cameo and rinse with water, pat dry and leave cameo face down on a dish towel to complete drying.
Because soap can be drying to the delicate shell, apply a light coating of mineral oil to the cameo to prevent it from drying out, let set and then gently remove the excess oil. If your cameos are looking dull or dried out, sometimes the mineral oil is just the thing to bring them back to life. Remember, shell cameos are an organic material and do need nourishment and care to stay lovely. They are often passed down through the generations or given as a loving memento.
View a selection of these beautiful, classic cameos at:
http://pages.rememberwhenvintage.com/178/InventoryPage/5912/1.html