{"product_id":"vintage-12ct-rolled-gold-carved-shell-cameo-brooch-pendant-clewco-classical-maiden-profile-convertible-dark-academia-relic","title":"Vintage Shell Cameo Brooch Pendant, Classical Maiden Portrait, 12ct Rolled Gold Rope Twist Frame, Clewco Birmingham, Convertible, c.1940s-1950s","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe has been facing left for the better part of a century. She shows no sign of stopping.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cameo is one of the oldest forms of portable portraiture in the Western tradition, and one of the most consistently misunderstood. The genre runs from ancient Rome through the Renaissance courts through the Victorian drawing room, and at every point the best examples were made by carvers working with genuine skill on genuine shell, exploiting the natural colour stratigraphy of the material: the warm amber-honey ground layer, the crisp white relief carved above it. This is one of those examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe subject is a classical maiden in right-facing profile, her hair elaborately dressed in swept-back curls with a decorative element at the crown, her drapery falling cleanly from the shoulder. The carving is confident and detailed, the individual curl and wave work well executed, the relief well-proportioned. The shell is in excellent condition with no chips or cracks to the carved face.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mount is by \u003cstrong\u003eE.J. Clewley \u0026amp; Co. (Clewco) of Birmingham\u003c\/strong\u003e, stamped 12ct Rolled Gold, a well-regarded British manufacturer whose rolled gold work represented a substantial layer of real gold bonded to a base metal core, considerably more durable and richer than standard electroplate. The frame is a classical rope-twist bezel with claw prongs securing the shell tablet. A concealed folding bail at the top crest makes this convertible: it can be worn as a brooch on the pin back or suspended as a pendant from a chain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Particulars:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Cameo brooch, convertible to pendant via folding bail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCameo: Hand-carved shell, classical maiden portrait in right-facing profile\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarving: Swept-back curls with crown detail, draped shoulder, warm amber ground with white relief\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrame: Rope-twist bezel, 12ct rolled gold, claw-set\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaker: E.J. Clewley \u0026amp; Co. (Clewco), Birmingham. Stamped 12ct Rolled Gold.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEra: c.1940s to 1950s\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Excellent. No chips or cracks to cameo. Frame intact. Please review all photos carefully before purchasing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA classical portrait in shell and rolled gold, made by Birmingham craftsmen in the middle of the last century, still wearing the face of a woman no one can name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\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":54881201520979,"sku":"VKVBR-024","price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1085\/2771\/4643\/files\/DSC_7160.jpg?v=1788791973","url":"https:\/\/vaenkaivault.com\/products\/vintage-12ct-rolled-gold-carved-shell-cameo-brooch-pendant-clewco-classical-maiden-profile-convertible-dark-academia-relic","provider":"Vaen’kai Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}