Old cameo bracelet ... but how old

I just found a bracelet that I purchased long ago and stashed away to do further research and like many of my treasures it got buried in a box until now 10 years later. I'm still not sure of it's age and was wondering if someone could help me properly date it. It has one marking. 1-10. There are no gold fill or karat markings. Does the 1-10 refer to 10k plating? Any help with dating it would be much appreciated.

 

Oh my, that's lovely--I love buckle bracelets! It looks Victorian to me also, archeological revival style, ca 1870s-1880s. And the cameos look to be hardstone?

No idea what 1-10 means, sorry!

 

Jewellery is not my thing, but it looks purposefully manufactured with an 'antique' look to me which suggests a 1950s date to me when the inherited look in jewellery came into fashion. Also, the belt buckle clasp looks 50s as well. I know the Italians were making cameos well into the 1970s - they may still be in production. However, like I said, jewellery is not my thing.

 

I agree with Jonathan -- it's looks very Victorian Revival. It doesn't appear as if the relief is in shell or stone, although hard to tell from here. Very pretty though. The bracelet itself looks quite substantial and likely goldfilled if I'm seeing the color correctly.

 

Hmmm... looking in the light of Jonathan and Laura's comments, the central cameo does "read" as resin in the closeup. I confess I've never seen a Victorian Revival design quite like this--the cameo bracelets I've run across aren't nearly as "faithful" in their rendering, though the cuffs and bangles often are.

What do you make of the "1-10" marking, Laura?

Also, I'm surprised that a 40s/50s goldfilled piece wouldn't be marked as such...

 

Hi Carrie:

I don't know what the stamp means. It could indicate one design out of a series of ten perhaps, or other design code, but that's a total guess. I agree that it appears to be very well made and faithful in its rendering. Not easy to see the cameos clearly from here.

They appear to be 'too perfect' for shell if it is a costume piece (and too early to be laser cut), although they could very well be -- or they could be resin as you've mentioned, which was my first thought as well. It appears that they are actually 'set' and so we know that no adhesive is involved, which would more easily determine the cabs to be costume.

I don't know if it is goldfilled although that would be my first guess. If it has less than the legal percentage, it's not likely to be stamped, or perhaps it is simply plated. In some pics, the coloring looks more like a faint gold, while in another it looks as if there is wear (and appears more silvery), and so likely plated if this is the case.

The pics are a little on the dark side and am guessing shot late in the day with that blue cast and heavy shadowing -- for me it's hard to see more precise detail.

ETA: Wondering if 1-10 in this case is the equivalent of 1/10.

 

Miss-M, would you be able to provide close-ups of the cameos? And also in a brighter light? I'm looking at the pics more carefully, and am seeing a rose gold framing around the smaller cameos, which leads me to believe that they are indeed shell.

Also, can you show the back of the bracelet and of one of the framed cameos? Would love to see better detail if possible.

 

I would ask Marzilli Vintage, if she's available to drop by to take a look.

 

That thought crossed my mind too, though I've never seen 1/10th gold fill--seems to always be 1/20th. But all sorts of variants are out there; I just bought a 30s (shell) cameo marked 10K--turns out it's white gold! I would never have suspected that...

And yes, a back shot and detail shots would really help--it's a great bracelet, and worth pondering carefully!

 

What a nice score Carrie! I so enjoy hearing stories like this.

I may need to ask you about a little dog pin that I have (must go rummage for it).

 

I've been following along, and initially thought 50-ish, just an impression. Glad we have jewelry experts on board!
It's a really neat bracelet, so unique.

 

I will post some better photos as soon as the sun comes out ... although it hasn't been coming out lately. Maybe under a lamp??

 

Ok.... here are some more photos. I tried to get some outside for better lighting but it's still gloomy here. Hope this will show some of the details better. Thanks so much for the help!

 

Thanks for posting the additional pics Miss-M. I can see that soldering now between the layers, the open back and substantial work, and hand cut saw tooth setting. I believe Carrie was on the money and that you have a period piece.

 

Thanks so much Laura ... Is this a hardstone cameo then?

 

Isn't it amazing how the quality of the images changes the whole look of the bracelet. Now I can see age in it - the thick cameos, the different shades of gold - it just looks compeltely different, although the curley cues still look a bit crude to me.

 

I agree with everyone's comments, and how different something can look in the details -- especially with small items such as jewelry, where close-ups are very important.

Miss-M you did a great job with providing good close-ups.

This can be tricky also Miss-M. Given it's coloring (helmet shells are the most common) and what looks like the uneven surface of carved shell, that would be my first guess -- however, they could very well be Sardonyx/hard stone cameos.

We can eliminate one option if you'd like to do a simple test. But first -- do you have a good loupe? Or very good eye sight and a good magnifier? If so, look at the back of the larger cameo and make sure that there is no signature scratched into the surface (you may need to tilt it in the light and angle it in order to see clearly and make sure).

If there is no signature, or if you want to test with one of the small cameos, take a toothpick and drop a very small drop of either lemon juice or vinegar onto the back (the back *only*) of one of them and then immediately check under the loupe or magnifier to see if there is any fizzing or bubbling. If so, you have shell.

If not, then possibly stone. After the test, wipe away the area well with a wet cloth to be sure that no more acid remains, and repeat this several times.

Another option is to take it to an area jeweler familiar with estate jewelry (but stay away from those mall shops). Good luck and let us know how it goes.