What is a cameo?

"When you write again to Catherine, thank her on my part for her very kind and welcome mark of friendship; I shall value such a brooch very much." - Jane Austin

"By cameo, rather than an object, we mean a type of workmanship: cameo workmanship.

A short Cameo Definition

A stone, a shell, a coral is engraved by exploiting the nature of the raw material, bringing out its particularities, creating a bas-relief or, why not, a high-relief”. I know, it may seem like a vague description but inevitably, being a definition, it must be all-encompassing. 

I'll explain better:

1. The materials used can be many: from shells to coral, from ivory to stones

2. Not all cameos have distinct colors in various levels, that is, not all cameos exploit the chromatic differences of the material on which they are worked, as we will see later.

3.Not all cameos are high reliefs, some are low reliefs. (Intaglio for example, or Seals)

“Am I boring you? Maybe I'm getting too technical?”

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So what is the real meaning of a Cameo?

Cameo is a Small Sculpture!

"Sculpture is what is made by the force of removing." (cit. Michelangelo Buonarroti, not just any one).

So let's try this cameo definition: when a true artist sees a raw material (shell, coral or stone) he already glimpses the piece of art that is hidden inside and just needs to free it from the excess material 

Definitely What’s a Cameo?

In defining cameos, we recognize that such a form of art shares much with the sculpture just in a miniaturized or portable version.

As we wrote recently telling about the micro mosaic that draws its origins from the works of ancient Rome, the cameo is nothing more than a miniature sculpture. For centuries it was even considered a portable portrait, the forerunner of modern photographs, the first selfie in history!

A little of History of this Glyphic art

The first real cameo may have its origins in Mesopotamia or ancient Egypt and in the cartouches that pharaohs used to imprint their names in imperishable memory for future generations. Being a miniature sculpture it had great success during the Roman era and later in the Renaissance when there was the discovery of classicism. It gained strength again during the Neoclassical period and in England during the Victorian period. At Eredi Jovon we continue this tradition with respect to 3 rules: handmade, made in Italy, and the true original tradition that we have carried on for almost 100 years.

Cameo in Jewelry

"The cameo then is an all-around piece of jewelry, an object to be worn with style and pride that speaks of you, of your taste for art, for true Made in Italy and for timeless beautiful things, which sooner or later cyclically come back in vogue. As Grandpa Luciano used to say here at Eredi Jovon, “Fashion changes every year, but class is forever.”

Materials for a Cameo

Shell Cameos

The cameo can be created in different materials. Shells and blue agate are definitely the materials that are in vogue nowadays, but there are other manners and stones that make glyptic art a totally Italian uniqueness.

Stone Cameos and other materials

How can we not mention, for example, lava stone, coral, turquoise, malachite, lapis lazuli, and old-fashioned stones such as carnelian (very suitable for carving and making aristocratic coat of arms and family crests).

Cameo Jewelry and how it’s made

The cameo communicates elegance and love of art, good taste and beauty. The wearer communicates that he cares about beautiful things that never fade.

Here is how a simple brooch, earring or ring of your desires, even a bit snobbish, that you put on your finger will say a lot about you and your personality. People will wonder why you use it right there and it will be a topic of conversation because it will tell a story: yours!

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What is the purpose of a cameo?

So let’s answer how the engraver makes the cameo using a different point of view

Behind every cameo is not only your story but also the story of the person who created it, of his skilled hands, of the years spent with patience learning that in the small lies infinity and that patience is the counselor of the strong. 

From a shell or a stone, the engraver will have to try his hand with smaller and smaller burins to go and find the detail that will give meaning to his work. All of his “know how” will have a voice during the process and will be what will ultimately give you a work of art and a unique piece of jewelry.

Knowing how to wait and seeing that from an apparently shapeless object you can make a work of art that encompasses what man has always sought: balance and the refined flavor of tending to it daily. We are born imperfect but our duty is to tend to the infinite!

How Cameos are done

Americans like to say that pictures speak louder than a thousand words so in this article I am not just going to describe how a cameo is made but I am going to show you a video that shows you exactly the millennia-old art and craftsmanship that distinguishes each glyptic work. I will basically show you how our custom cameos are created.

Because there is nothing more unique and special, there is nothing more like what experts today call “luxury” than an item created especially for you!

Cameos at Eredi Jovon

At Eredi Jovon we have firmly believed in this cameo idea for almost a century. For us, cameo is not just about creating a piece of jewelry by making it fast, easy to sell. To create a cameo is to get in tune with the person who ordered it from you, to understand their needs and to fully comprehend what that cameo can mean to them and their family. That's why since 1934 we have still been creating custom cameos by respondi<ng directly to what a person wants deep down. The service is totally personalized and includes a video showing how we created his special piece of jewelry.

The word cameo when used in other contexts

The word cameo has also been used in other contexts. Let's go and analyze them.

Cameo in Film and Television

Within a film or TV serious the cameo is the appearance of a famous character, mostly a deliberately recognizable appearance, whose only role is to surprise or amuse the audience because it somehow creates empathy or interrupts the plot for a few seconds. Sometimes it even becomes a challenge for the viewer to find the cameo almost as if it were a hidden gem to search for.

So what does it mean when someone does a cameo?

Stan Lee was famous for example appeared in all Marvel movies with a short but sympathetic role. Other famous people who appeared within their films were Alfred Hitchcock and. Stephen king who appeared a few times in movies based on his books.

The best of these in my mind is when Gene Hackman made a hilarious cameo in Young Frankenstein as a blind hermit. His brief appearance added unexpected humor, showcasing his comedic timing in an otherwise spooky, parody-filled classic.

Customized Cameo Portrait from a Picture

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Cameo in literature

Often the word cameo in literary works has a similar meaning to that just described for film art. In some cases, however, it has a deeper meaning: A particularly refined description with attention to detail, almost like a small jewel set in the text.

The example that comes to every Italian at first glance is that it can be considered the greatest cameo in Italian literature is the story of Paolo and Francesca in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

They are certainly two minor characters, but the fifth canto of Dante's Inferno where they appear is famous for the high artistic value, descriptive refinement and strong impact that the two characters have left in the collective imagination.

Here are that secondary characters who are functional to the symbolic message that the supreme poet wanted to express, although appearing for only a few pages, can be considered a small "cameo" in world literature.

Conclusion: what is a cameo for me, my family and all the Eredi Jovon Team?

Like a whisper etched in stone, a cameo is more than adornment—it's a timeless echo of craftsmanship, emotion, and storytelling, where every tiny detail holds the power to preserve memory, identity, and the poetry of human hands.

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