I think there are a lot of misconceptions about valuing cameos on eBay. I see a lot of cameos listed that I think I might like to bid on. However, as you know with eBay the pictures can be a little dodgy. Getting close up pictures of some of my own jewelry for sale on eBay is like pulling teeth or rounding up a toddler for a fresh diaper. Which is to say getting close up pictures of jewelry, coins, stamps and other small articles can be frustrating- to say the least.
This week I found a rather large lot of cameos and other vintage goodies in one jewelry lot for auction. The opening bid was kind of pricey though, particularly if the cameos in question were just old vintage plastic cameos. The seller had stated that these items once belonged to her Grandmother, but the accompanying pictures were a bit blurry. Furthermore, the seller had revised her listing at a later point, because she thought she might have grossly under priced her jewelry after seeing other listings for cameos. This of course warranted some further investigation in my mind.
I contacted the seller (a very lovely person with the same first name as myself) and asked her if any of the cameos were shell. Unfortunately, she did not know and she then asked me- how does one find out. In a nutshell- I said via email, “you look through the cameo- hold it up to the light, can you see through it?”
The problem with this technique is; that I am sure that there are some plastic cameos that are probably so thin, that I suppose some one could erroneously believe they are looking at shell. The seller was kind enough to send me some more pictures, although I couldn’t make heads or tails out of these either and the auction ended.
So here it is, the basic, brief pictorial lesson on what a shell cameo looks like.
Picture One: Antique 19th Century Shell Cameo in presumed gold setting.
This a beautiful antique shell cameo with no 
chips or cracks. The clasp, the hinge and the extended pin help to put an approximate date on the piece.
Note the beautiful smooth back of this cameo.
Here is a picture of the same came held to the light.
Next we have a pretty little vintage plastic cameo.
While quite a pretty little cameo, it is not nearly as valuable as a hand carved shell cameo. A shell cameo is a work of art and made by a master craftsman. I love to look at real cameos, in the same way I
like to browse a museum or an art gallery. A vintage cameo does not impart the same feelings. Vintage cameos are wonderful to wear however. I personally would not feel comfortable wearing an antique shell cameo out of the house.
I have seen several sellers on eBay touting the wonders of their vintage cameos and even exclaiming that they sell more vintage cameos then real! Of course- more vintage cameos are sold because of price constraints. I rather think more Dodge Neons are sold then Jaguars, but I would prefer the Jag…
Comparing a shell cameo that was handcrafted to a plastic cameo is not like comparing apples to oranges either. Apples and oranges are both healthy fruit- it is to your taste whether you like either, both or neither. Comparing a shell cameo to a vintage cameo is more like comparing fillet mignon to a quarter pounder with cheese. I know what I would rather eat, but because of market value and scarcity I get a lot more McDonald’s then steak.
This was a good article. I do have one other way to tell if the cameo is plastic or shell. I touch my lower front teeth to the cameo. Plastic has a slightly warm feeling. Shell is cool and much harder like a porcelain teacup.
I agree with you that plastic is warm and shell is cold. It helps to touch vintage jewelry to find out what it’s made from. Some pieces have cabochons that are hard to tell what they are made from by sight alone. Glass and stones are cool to the touch as is the shell cameo. Plastic and Lucite warm up when you touch them. It’s all about conductivity. Great addition- touch those cameos to find out what their made of.
Thank-you all for this great information. I’ve been sorting through my mother-in-law’s jewelry, and I’m going mad trying to figure out what is real and what is not. One piece, a rather large cameo flunked both the light and the cool test. I kind of think if was her aunts, making it from sometime probably in the 40′s or 50′s. Then I got out my own damaged, old cameo given to me by my grandmother when I was very young. It passed both the light and the cool test. I now think it is worth having repaired. Thanks again for the help.
why don’t you show the fake in the light, so we can see the difference?
The fake cameo or resin cameo is not opened backed so holding it up to the light would look the same as it is shown. Thanks for dropping by.
Then show us the back?
I have false teeth, so warm and cold mean nothing.
Hi Sandi- this post is two years old, so I no longer have that exact cameo it has been sold or given away to a family member. As I stated before the back of the cameo is not opened up. If I still had that cameo I would show you that the back is solid metal frame. Thanks for dropping by.
This was great info. Thanks for clarifying shell and plastic cameos. Mine appears to be 14K but a plastic cameo. Why would a jeweler do that?
I am not sure- I have never seen a plastic cameo in a karat gold frame. That is a puzzle!
Seems I’m in the same boat, almost, as Terre. I have an older all ivory color cameo brooch with a c clasp with the same smooth setting as the photo of the real one, however, it’s closed back and is sterling silver (stamped same, not 925). I, also, couldn’t figure out why plastic would be put in a 1″ tall sterling setting. Is that common? Could the fact that there’s a small fixed ring near the rear back bottom edge which must have been for a pendant or perhaps a watch mean anything as to real or not? Thanks so much, Michelle, for sharing with us!
It is hard for me to comment on these mystery cameos without actually seeing them. I think it is more likely to have a resin or plastic cameo in sterling then gold. I wonder if what you both are describing are old celluloid cameos.
This is a wonderful post. Thank you. I’m also trying to identify some cameos of my mother’s. I appreciate the information.
Thanks Cindy- I appreciate your kind words.