Somebody once sat with a tiny blade and carved a whole face, hair, curls and all, into a piece of shell no bigger than your thumb.
Cameos: tiny sculptures you can wear on your lapel
A cameo is a miniature work of art in relief, a portrait that rises from its own background, and wearing one is like pinning a little piece of history to your coat. Beautiful, unusual and full of character, they never fail to start a conversation.
Read to the very end to meet the cameo's secret twin, carved the opposite way and once used to sign letters.
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Carved from layers
🐚 The magic of a cameo is in the layers. Many cameos are carved from shell, where the carver cuts through a pale outer layer to reveal a darker or differently coloured layer beneath. The figure is the top layer, the background is the layer below, and every line is carved by hand.
🏛️ The art is ancient. Gem carvers in ancient Greece and Rome carved cameos from banded stones such as agate and sardonyx, using their natural stripes of colour in the very same way.
🇮🇹 Shell is easier to carve than hard stone, and it helped cameos spread widely from the 1700s and 1800s. Italy became famous for it, and the town of Torre del Greco near Naples is still known for shell cameo carving today.
Vintage 9ct Yellow Gold Ladies Portrait Orange Cameo Brooch/Pendant
£295
or 4 interest free payments of £73.75
A warm orange portrait cameo in a 9ct yellow gold frame, and it works as a brooch or a pendant. Two ways to wear one gorgeous piece.
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The royal fan club
Cameos have a famously royal following. Napoleon was reportedly a big admirer of the art, and Queen Victoria loved cameo jewellery and helped make it hugely fashionable in Britain. In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, a cameo brooch pinned at the neck of a blouse was the height of elegance.
Antique Edwardian 9ct Rose Gold White Cameo Ring | Size G
£295
or 4 interest free payments of £73.75
A crisp white cameo on a 9ct rose gold ring from the Edwardian era. Real antique charm you can wear on your finger. Want it in a different size? Our ring resize page is the place to start.
Victorian 9ct Yellow Gold Ladies Portrait Cameo Brooch
£395
or 4 interest free payments of £98.75
A ladies portrait cameo framed in 9ct yellow gold, with all the elegance of the Victorian age. A statement brooch for coats, scarves and cardigans.
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Two more portraits to pin on
Victorian Ladies Portrait Cameo Brooch
£95
or 4 interest free payments of £23.75
Antique Edwardian Lady Portrait Cameo Brooch
£79
or 4 interest free payments of £19.75
Antique elegance for under £100. A brilliant way to start a cameo collection, or to give a gift that nobody else will have.
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How to wear a cameo today
🧥 Pin one to a wool coat or tweed jacket
🧣 Fasten it to a chunky scarf or shawl
👔 Pop one on a denim jacket for a vintage twist
📿 Turn a brooch-pendant into a necklace
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Easy care for a cameo that lasts
✨ A gentle wipe with a soft dry cloth after wearing
👛 Keep it in its own pouch between wears
💍 Pop in for a free check and sparkle-up any time
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Cameo FAQs
What is a cameo?
A small carving in relief, usually a portrait, where the figure stands out from a contrasting background layer.
What are cameos made from?
Many are carved from shell, while others are carved from layered stones such as agate and sardonyx, and some are made from other materials.
How do you wear a cameo brooch?
Pin it to a coat, jacket, scarf or the collar of a blouse. Many cameos also work as pendants.
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What our customers say
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Nicola Anwender
"Fantastic service again today at Eloise ! My daughter is delighted with her repaired vintage ring & locket necklace. Staff are so helpful & friendly"
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The secret twin: intaglio
Here's the payoff. A cameo has a mirror-image twin called an intaglio, where the design is carved down into the stone instead of rising up from it. Intaglios were used as seals: pressed into warm wax, the sunken design left a raised impression, a personal signature for letters and documents. Carved one way you get a cameo, carved the other way you get a seal. Same ancient skill, opposite directions.
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Pin a piece of history to your coat!
Hand-carved, hundreds of years in the making and utterly unique, a cameo is the original wearable art. Love a good hidden-code story? Read what the tiny marks inside your ring actually mean, then come and see our cameos in person in Kirkcaldy.
📍 Eloise Jewellery, 156 High Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, KY1 1NQ
📞 01592 646340
✉️ eloisejewellery@hotmail.co.uk
🕒 Monday–Saturday: 9:30am–5:30pm