Antique jewelry: the cameo is making a comeback
Long confined to the connoisseur market of antique jewelry , the cameo is making a big comeback in jewelry . Rihanna, through her fashion house Fenty , has just launched a collection of cameo pendants . Before that, she had already fallen for this type of vintage jewelry by regularly wearing a Jacquie Aiche cameo ring, or even Lanvin pendants.
New Interest in Antique Cameo Jewelry
Cameo jewelry is one of those vintage pieces that collectors are snapping up. Now, these designs are making a comeback in contemporary fashion. Long considered outdated, cameo jewelry is now worn by women of all ages. Was it because of this renewed interest sparked by Rihanna that Warstki 's booth at TEFAF New York drew crowds with her cameo jewelry collection that was on sale?
Amedeo Scognamiglio at the forefront of the cameo
Thomas Holman, director of Wartski, can only note, with great pleasure, the return of cameo jewelry. The trend was mainly set by Amedeo Scognamiglio . His See No Evil cameo jewelry appeared at Bergdorf, and it did not go unnoticed. Others imitated him, which led to a snowball effect.
A Brief History of the Cameo
Initially, the cameo was a simple engraved stone that was worn on oneself. The first cameos were used as a seal . From functional, the cameo gradually transformed into an artistic accessory. Notables in particular had their portraits depicted on cameos that they wore or offered to their most loyal supporters. Crowned heads in particular had the habit of offering cameos to their close guard.
Cameos were also used as good luck charms . They could represent the patron saint of a corporation, for example. In the 19th century, the history of the cameo took a turn when shells were used for the first time in Naples. This replacement of expensive agate by a cheap material led to the democratization of the cameo.
It was also in the 19th century that jewelry took hold of the cameo. In particular by the creation of massive brooches with sculpted motifs. Fallen into oblivion, cameo jewelry was for a long time the object of interest of lovers of antique jewelry . Until 2019 and their return to grace.
