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Classic Cameos
Beautiful, carved images used for personal adornment have cast their romantic spell over people's imaginations for thousands of years. As both a sentimental keepsake and a work of art, concentrating major drama into a minute space, the cameo is one of the most treasured sculpted images. A cameo is a small scene or figure carved in relief. This modern Italian word, meaning "to engrave, " is though to have come from the ancient Hebrew/Arabic word "kamea", meaning "charm" or "amulet." Folklore relates cameos' mystic capacity to attract health and good fortune. The enduring popularity of the cameo attests to its delicate power to beguile generations of wearers and viewers alike.
Intaglio Cameos
The word cameo specifically describes a relief image raised higher than its background and carved from one material. In contrast, if the artist carves down into the stone to hollow out a recessed image, the resulting work is called an "intaglio" (pronounced with a silent "g"). Intaglio Cameos can be made in any material, even latex or plastic, but the most popular are of stone, coral, shell, glass and fine metals. Originally intaglios had a practical as well as decorative purpose. When brushed with ink or wax, the intaglio can be used as a seal or identifying stamp to mark a letter or document.
Countries of Origin
A significant portion of superior ancient cameo carving came from Greece and Rome, and to the present day, Italy has remained the major center of cameo cutting. Other countries also have enjoyed their heydays. France became a renowned cameo center during the Renaissance (14th through 16th centuries) and remained the dominant style setter through the mid-1700's. England's jewelry design came into its own with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The United States boasted fine quality cameos with Louis Comfort Tiffany's rise during the Art Nouveau period in the early 1900's. Germany glittered as an important center for cameo production after World War II,a s some of Europe's finest glass cutters from Czechoslovakia migrated to Bavaria and other German states.
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C.W. Fashion Jewelry
Palestine, Texas
USA
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