With Fashion Week front and center, showcasing stylish trends and noteworthy designers, I find my own look a little more pulled together. My shoes are polished, my outfit is a little more layered, and I am accessorizing. I an definitely wearing my cameos.
The art of cameo engraving can be traced as far back as the second and first centuries B.C., to the ancient Greek or Roman empires, where cameos enjoyed a golden age. The decline of the Roman Empire, however, brought with it a period of dormancy for cameo development. During the Renaissance, cameos resurfaced as an art form and medium for jewelry. The world is now dependent on South America for its supply of high quality layered agate material for cameo carving.
Rummaging through your grandmother’s jewelry box has never been more fashionable than now. Keep an eye out for vintage cameos. The cameo trend reportedly started as an accessory trend in 2012. The beauty of a cameo is certainly in its carving, but also in the selection of the material. The carver selects a section of the conch shell or agate and determines where the layers of color are. Then the carver creates a design just for that section (of shell) that reveals the colored layers as it is carved, making the finished cameo more three-dimensional. After it is carved, it is polished by hand creating a wonderful depth to the finished piece. Maybe that is why it is the perfect Fall accessory: after a summer of carefree, breezy dressing, maybe we need a more polished look to balance us out!
It can either act as a statement piece or work in harmony with your other pieces as one cohesive look. Cameos can be worn around the neck, as a ring, or as a bracelet of many. I've posted a few pictures of the many styles that we are currently featuring in our store.
Let me know if you think the cameo trend is a do or a don't. To see more of our unique costume and estate jewelry, check us out at https://www.facebook.com/MonmouthStreetEmporium and on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/mnmthstemporium/boards/.
