Posted 8 years ago
Jewelz10
(1 item)
This cameo was a gift many years ago and I have searched the internet trying to find more info on it and have been unsuccessful. I'm not really wanting to get rid of it - just curious about it & what it might be worth. Appreciate any help anyone could give me!!
Came with a tag that is pictured above.
Sterling silver is marked .925 - .800 silver is not sterling silver, as it is only 800 out of a 1000 parts of silver.
There really isn't anything else in the way of information to offer about your brooch. Not really possible to trace it's origins other than to say it's is continental.
http://www.925-1000.com/a_Standards.html
Sorry, can't give you a value here on CW. Here is a video that explains how to date antique brooches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Hcvrqa4kA
The information you have on photo #4 is pretty exhaustive and correct, what else would you like to know? As for the country of origin - the cameo was probably carved in Italy and could have been set in silver there too, but many cameos were exported abroad (Germany, England, France) and made into jewelry by local craftsmen. The carving is good quality and two people are almost always better than one. The silver border is very pretty and I'm sure you'll come across a similar one eventually if you keep on with your research and then solve this "mystery".
It says .925
Ok thank you. I guess that's kind of what I was wanting to know - if the info on the card was actually correct.
Can you get a better photo of the mark? Or look at it through a magnifier? 800 would make more sense on a piece like that, and it doesn't not mean lower quality, it's just that it could not technically be called "sterling" but it's still silver.
Yes I will look closer
I'm sorry I looked closer at the mark and it says 800.
The torch & the wreath of flowers are both attributes of Hymenaios, god of marriage. This piece is more allusive, rather than a depiction of a specific deity. The ladies could be seen as participants in a procession leading a bride to her new home. The style & the use of 800 grade silver suggest the setting, like the cameo itself, was made in Italy. :)
Thank you so much for your help!!