{"product_id":"red-agate-and-silver-brooch-pendate","title":"Antique Hardstone Cameo Brooch Pendant, Classical Maiden Portrait, Cornelian Red Agate, Flowing Hair, Sterling Silver Collet Frame, Convertible, 925 Stamped, c.1880s-1910s","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShell yields to a blade. Agate does not. This carver worked harder for every line.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is a hierarchy in cameo carving that most buyers never consider. Shell cameos are worked with hand tools against a material that, while demanding of skill, is relatively forgiving. Hardstone cameos are different. Cornelian, agate, sardonyx, onyx: these are materials that resist the tool entirely, that must be worked with abrasive wheels and rotary instruments across hours and days rather than the more direct carving of shell. The result, when successful, is an object of a different order: harder, more permanent, more luminous, and historically more prestigious. Hardstone cameos were the expensive choice, the collector's choice, the choice of someone who knew the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a hardstone cameo. The ground is cornelian red agate, a warm deep orange-red that glows against light, the white relief layer carved above it with considerable skill. The subject is a classical maiden in left-facing profile, her hair loose and flowing, the individual strands rendered with fine detail and genuine care. The drapery falls simply from the shoulder, the composition clean and well-proportioned. The carving is in exceptional condition, the relief crisp throughout with no chips, scratches, or losses, the agate surface retaining its natural lustre.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe frame is sterling silver, stamped 925, a clean collet setting with claw prongs securing the stone. A combined pin back and pendant bail makes this convertible: brooch or pendant, depending on the occasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Particulars:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Hardstone cameo brooch, convertible to pendant via bail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStone: Cornelian red agate, warm orange-red ground with white relief layer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubject: Classical maiden portrait, left-facing profile, loose flowing hair\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrame: Sterling silver collet with claw prongs, combined pin and pendant bail. Stamped 925.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEra: Late Victorian to Edwardian, c.1880s to 1910s\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Exceptional. Relief crisp throughout, no chips or losses. Agate surface retaining natural lustre. Frame secure. Please review all photos carefully before purchasing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eShell cameos are carved in hours. This one took considerably longer. You can see exactly where the time went.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArrives tucked inside its own treasure coffin and carefully wrapped as a vault relic, ready for gifting or keeping.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vaen’kai Vault","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54881208795475,"sku":"VKVBR-H009","price":210.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1085\/2771\/4643\/files\/DSC_7166.jpg?v=1788792664","url":"https:\/\/vaenkaivault.com\/products\/red-agate-and-silver-brooch-pendate","provider":"Vaen’kai Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}