Anyone know?

Jdett411 · Feb 14, 2013

Hey guys, I found this yesterday. It sounded like gold when I came across it but its pretty heavy for being so small, like lead. I'm pretty sure it's a necklace charm/pendant. But it looks pretty old, its a side of a face looking to the left, almost looks similar to the merc dime. No markings on the back side, just smooth. Does anyone have any info on this? Is there's any importance to it, as to why would someone wear this if its just any old pendant with a face. Thanks to any responses.

Indian Steve · Feb 14, 2013

Hi, It's a cameo. The better ones were carved shell. Very popular in the past.

DCMatt · Feb 14, 2013

Indian Steve said:
Hi, It's a cameo. The better ones were carved shell. Very popular in the past.

Yep. What HE said!

DCMatt

nhbenz · Feb 14, 2013

Yep, very popular in the Victorian era. The size would suggest that it was a charm, rather than a stand alone pendant. As such it could have been part of a next lace or bracelet (the style of which had a resurgence in popularity often credited to Queen Victoria).

Jdett411 · Feb 14, 2013

Awesome, thanks for the info. Not looking to sell anything but for the knowledge aspect, would this have any value? Bring a piece of something larger I wouldn't think much. $2-6 prob.

DJWEHAGE · Feb 14, 2013

Don't know the value, but cool find none the less!

relicmeister · Feb 14, 2013

I think its real nice.

yaxthri · Feb 15, 2013

That is a very beautiful cameo and a great find.
Is it just me or does a coiled snake form the rim and ring?

cdsieg · Feb 15, 2013

Don't know the value, but it could have been an earring and the connector part is missing or like someone said a charm. I am not sure how much jewelry they made out of lead, but when metals were rationed or reserved for amunition, they resorted to using pot metal for a lot of jewelry. Also it is hard to tell by your photo, but it looks like a hand carved cameo to me. A lot of hand carved cameos were signed by the designer, somewhere inside the cameo itself. If you take a magnifying glass or a loupe, hand carved ones show specs of white like tiny little shavings that didn't get cleaned off. Also if you could show a photo of the back and if you had a nice close up of the front, you may get more commets from others. Nice find!