(NFS / NFT) 14K + Victorian Shell Cameo Ring circa 1840, size 7

Showing off my new Fair Maiden : 14K + Victorian Shell Cameo Ring circa 1840 (not for sale) * heavy gold and substantial setting * porcelain white skin carved from shell * stamped 14K Cameo jewels were originally made by skilled artisans from Italy. They were popular souvenir items purchased by the well-to-do as souvenirs of their Grand Tour, reminding them of days spent immersed in the cultures of the ancients at sites such as at the Roman Colosseum, the Acropolis and Delphi. It is highly likely that this ring is an example of a Grand Tour souvenir, bought unset and mounted in 14K gold upon return to England. Shell cameos experienced a revival in the 1960s, and many of the cameos found today are from that later period. One of the key ways to distinguish between a Victorian cameo and a 20th Century cameo is to look at the nose. Victorian cameos often have a strong ‘Roman’ nose whereas cameos from the 20th Century follow that era’s beauty ideal of a small ‘button’ nose. Our maiden is more classically beautiful, and her nose is one of the ways that she can be safely identified as a Victorian era jewel.