10 Things You Should Know Before You Buy Any Antique Cameo
By Preston Reuther
Here are 10 rules of thumb that will save you a lot of time, money and trouble and when buying an antique cameo.
#1 Antique, hand-carved, shell cameos appreciate in value and plastic ones made in 1980 do not. Is your selected cameo shell or plastic?
#2 Victorian women did not wear there hair in pony tails.
#3 The Victorian woman did not have a cute, pointed, turned up nose. It was rounded, bulbous and older versions had protruding Roman noses.
#4 Cameos in the late 1800s and before did not have safety catches on the catch; rather they had an old C-type piece of wire with a simple pin.
#5 Rarely was a cameo set in 4 prongs; usually it was 2 double prongs totaling 8 prongs of a flat type metal made from silver, brass or gold.
#6 An original Wedgewood cameo has MADE IN ENGLAND on the rear of the cameo. If that stamp is not engraved deeply into the material its probably an imitation.
#7 A broken catch or pin in the rear of a cameo can be fixed; but because the cameo is shell it needs to be removed before the catch is soldered, and this can cost a $100 or more.
#8 It is common for an antique cameo to have stress lines inside of the shell that can usually only be seen by holding it up to the light. But a crack that can be seen from front to back makes that cameo almost worthless.
#9 Many antique cameos are signed but the signature is almost invisible unless you hold them up to a bright light and view it from the rear. The signature is nice to have and does add a bit of value but not the most important feature of a cameo. What is important is a well carved image and an interesting frame that is in good condition.
#10 Lava cameos are fairly rare and are being bought up by collectors and seem to be the next big investment in cameo collecting today.
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Preston Reuther is a Master Wire Sculptor that has been collecting, buying and selling cameos for close to 20 years. He has written several e-books and produced over 30 jewelry making dvds. Visit his antique cameo collection at www.antiquecameos.com or e-mail him at moc.erutplucs-eriw|notserp#moc.erutplucs-eriw|notserp.