Vintage Caeo Pendant

[jthole]

I found this cameo pendant in my Mother's jewelry box after she passed away at age 90. I also found a picture of her wearing it as a teenager.

My first question is, who is the image on the cameo?

[authentic*vintage]

Not sure who the cameo is of - it could be generic - can you post a picture showing the back, and other elements?

[kudzubillie]

I have the same cameo, in a different setting....a kinda cheap-o setting.  

The setting it's self is Marked BSK.

That doesn't mean yours is.  

That same cameo may have bee sold to numberous designers, manufacterers.

Plus, picking items up, like cameos...are easily replaced if pc. is missing.  

Cameos most often come in standard sizes.

I sell on Etsy also.  Up-cycle old jewelry, parts and pcs, put together whatever fits and looks good.  I always inform in

description, that item was put together using many differnt pcs, designer/manufacterer not necessarily known.

Good Luck!

[kpamber]

I always associate these glass cameos with West Germany.  I'm not sure if all of them were made there, but certainly a good number of them were.

You'll see some that are very similar listed on ebay right now, or you can google them...

That makes the dating a little less difficult, as West Germany didn't exist until 1949, and I would assume that there wasn't manufacturing, facilities, or materials...until sometime in the 1950's. 

The rhinestone in the neck is different than I have seen before, I'm assuming that it might be to make it  "en'habille", an imitation of the hand carved cameos that have a small diamond necklace on their neck.  That makes me think that this was manufactured later than the original ones from the '50's.

That's just a guess...

[evelyb30]

I think the one in the picture is a different cameo. This one is what gets called German Headband Girl. I've never seen her in anything predating 1970 or so.

[hollyblue83]

It could be onyx,but the photo looks like the original setting is hot glued into a modern metal setting.

[authentic*vintage]

I agree this looks very recent. The goldtone "glaze" is super shiny and the cameo itself too refined to much older than 1960's.

[jthole]

I have a photo of my Mother wearing this pendant when she 16 years old; that was 1940. 

It is definately 1940 or earlier.

[authentic*vintage]

It is difficult to tell without seeing the back. Many cameos also look similar. This one just has a very recent appearance.

[kpamber]

Well, then my second guess would be Czech glass cameo.  If it was West German, it wouldn't predate 1950 (when the US put vast amounts of money into rebuilding the West German economy), nor would it postdate 1990, which of course, is ridiculous, since you have a picture of your grandmother wearing it in 1940.

I am not a costume jewelry afficionado, though.  I don't think it looks carved, it looks like a molded piece, so I'm going to guess that it isn't a hardstone cameo (like sardonyx).

For those who can tell more about a piece from the findings (the clasp, the back of the setting, etc.), it would be beneficial to provide more pictures of those. 

[minsatisstuff]

I had or maybe still have "somewhere" the same thing. In my opinion its probably some sort of plastic "Lady" on a black plastic background. For your sake I hope I am wrong. Good luck!!!!

[bluedaemon23]

What the others said - West German Headband Lady. She was pretty ubiquitous back in the day; she turns up on D&E, Florenza, Sarah Coventry, unsigned beauties... just about all over the place. I've seen her in cameo and reverse intaglio, right and left facing, and all different colors of glass, including white on black contrast - though always glass, not plastic. This is the first time I've seen her with a rhinestone, though.

[jthole]

"Headband Girl" usually has longer more wavy flowing hair. I do not see this one on ebay.

Here is the back

[authentic*vintage]

Hard to tell from the photo whether the black stone is onyx. The open-backed setting makes me want to say it is possible.

Without maker's marks and without being in a karat gold setting, it is certainly more valuable as a sentimental piece to you than it would be if you were to sell it. Looks like a molded glass cameo bust maybe on onyx but most likely glass - nothing carved - it is glued into the setting, correct? The rhinestone is also glued into the bust?

[minsatisstuff]

I had an exact cameo like yours. The background was black plastic with a faux diamond where your "diamond" is. It is supposed to represent a victorian widow cameo. Hence the black. Hope this helps! I could be wrong- I'm just telling you what mine was.