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Victorian silver carved shell cameo bracelet.  This beautiful bracelet is made of 800 silver.  It has the most beautiful hand-made fine silver filigree work which looks like french lace. The cameos are expertly carved out of shell. The carving on the cameos are all different, which adds even more interest to the piece.  The clasp is a slide clasp, and is in good perfect working order.  This bracelet is stunning when worn and in beautiful condition. 

Note:  Cameos are often worn as jewellery, but in ancient times were mainly used for signet rings and large earrings, although the largest examples were probably to large for this, and were just admired as objects d'art. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in Greece dating back as far as the 3rd century BC.. The Farnese Farnese Tazza( a cup) is the oldest major Hellenistic piece surviving. They were popuar in Ancient Rome, especially in the circle of Augustus. The most famous stone"state cameos" from this period are the Gemma Augstea, the Gemma Claudia, and the largest flat engraved gen known from antiquity, the Great Cameo of France. Roman Cameos became less common around in the years leading up to 300AD although production continued at a much reduced state during the middle ages. 

The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Neoclassical revival began in France with Napoleon's support of the glyptic arts, and even his coronation crown was decorated with cameos. 

In Britain, this revival first occurred during King George III's reign, and his granddaughter , Queen Victoria, was a major proponent of the cameo trend, to the extend that they would become mass -produced by the second half of the 19th century. 

After 1850 demand for cameos grew, as they became popular souvenirs of the Grand Tour among the middle classes. 

Measurements: 7" long 1" wide

Weight: 16.4 grams

Condition: Excellent

Origin: Italy 

Date: Circa 1900