Late Art Deco Sterling Silver Shell Cameo Earrings

Italian carvers began to use shells for their creations in the early 1880's. Most commonly, cameos portrayed the faces or images of Romanesque women. Most often they had upswept hairstyles and some were even adorned with jewelry. The cameos usually depicted the portrait of the "idealized" woman or god's and goddesses from mythology.

These gorgeous shell cameo earrings are hand carved and from the late Art Deco (ca1930) era. Each exceptional earring begins with a shell cameo topper that displays a simple white flower. Dangling from the topper is a teardrop shaped cameo which is particularly large in size. The cameo images are highly detailed and depict a lovely dancing woman, with hair pulled back and a flowing dress. Set in a sterling silver setting, each link is framed with a wonderful wirework border and milgrained details. The earrings hang from simple sterling silver earrings wires. These lovely earrings would make a lovely addition to any collection!

Measurements: Each earring hangs approximately 2 1/4" long, is slightly more than 3/4" at its widest point, and slightly more than 1/8” at its deepest point.

Condition: The overall condition of the earrings is excellent. Besides normal surface wear, there is no apparent damage to the cameo or to the sterling silver setting.