Last spring we went all over Europe, and I have thought that there are a few places I need to go back to because I have this mental shopping list. On this list is a georgous ornate handpainted chess set I saw in Florence, at least a dozen of the pretty souvenir ink pens from Harrods in London, but most of all... A Cameo Pin or a Cameo Pill box. DUH I'm still smacking myself in the head! I spent an afternoon in Pompeii-Naples, and went to a factory where they make and sell them. I saw thousands of them all over the place, and also in Casino, Italy. The top two pictures are cameos I saw in Europe, and if you're a real sharp cookie you'll think I've seen that top picture before. (I drew it with prismacolor pencils, and it's in my post about the spring art show.
At the time I felt like I shouldn't buy one as a way to boycott the Camarerro, which is what the Italians call the mainland mafia. Yes I had a conscience about buying one because I learned that the entire Italian cameo business is run by Camarerro. Ugh, no one would ever buy anything from Italy if they grew a conscience because the entire country is crooked. I think I'm over my whole personal boycott idea. Why in the heck did I not just cough up 50 euro and bring home a whole sack full? Real cameos are truly the most exquisite form of jewelry you can own. A cameo requires more skill, artistic ability, time, energy, a work than anything else you'll ever put in your jewelry box (except maybe a Rolex since those are made one at a time as well). I rate pearls in second place because those take a long time to grow and hand string.
I'm also a little sentimental about cameos because my Mom wore them on her's and dad's wedding day, and they were stolen when their house was broken into while they were newlyweds in Tulsa. I'm sure some jerk out there took them, pawned them, and hasn't given it a second thought. If she still had them, I would have worn them in my wedding. Oh well, can't dwell on things like that.
So the conclusion of this story is I got 5 beautiful cameos in Canton, TX at First Monday this weekend. Those are the ones in the two bottom pictures. Two of them are real shell, and one is on lava rock, the other two are costume, but I think they're pretty anyways, and they are all antique. I think they look like they ought to be in the next Victoria Bliss magazine. By they way I Love that magazine, and if they ever decide they need someone else to go around taking pictures of beautiful things I think they might be able to twist my arm (ok I'd be the one doing the arm twisting).
I'm also a little sentimental about cameos because my Mom wore them on her's and dad's wedding day, and they were stolen when their house was broken into while they were newlyweds in Tulsa. I'm sure some jerk out there took them, pawned them, and hasn't given it a second thought. If she still had them, I would have worn them in my wedding. Oh well, can't dwell on things like that.
So the conclusion of this story is I got 5 beautiful cameos in Canton, TX at First Monday this weekend. Those are the ones in the two bottom pictures. Two of them are real shell, and one is on lava rock, the other two are costume, but I think they're pretty anyways, and they are all antique. I think they look like they ought to be in the next Victoria Bliss magazine. By they way I Love that magazine, and if they ever decide they need someone else to go around taking pictures of beautiful things I think they might be able to twist my arm (ok I'd be the one doing the arm twisting).
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