Cameo pendant “Hortense”

Description

Sublime 19th century cameo pendant in 18k gold, featuring a profile of a woman on a shell. A classic piece of the French jewellery repertoire of the nineteenth century, drawing inspiration from ancient Greece. Wear it over a gold chain for a classic look, a pearl necklace for a decidedly elegant style or layered with larger chains for an offbeat look.
Weight: 4.11g
Dimensions: 26mm x 20mm
Eagle and Gold Hallmarks 750
This unique piece had a previous life in France.

The story: The term cameo is borrowed directly from the Italian Cameo which has the same origin as the word camaïeu (a gradient of colors of the same tone). They consist of engraving on a stone (chalcedony) or on a shell, a pattern on the white part of the stone or shell, while the colored part is used as the background. This art of engraving stone, named glyptic, refers to cameos but also intaglios (stones engraved in hollows). The first cameos date back to Greece and Ancient Rome. They displayed images of gods and goddesses, heroes, rulers, religious figures, and significant events.