I came across this site and thought that maybe I can get some help. My wife loves cameo pendant necklaces and I found this 10k Gold Cameo Pendant at an estate sale mixed among other jewelry locked inside a small safe. They said nothing of value was in the safe, but when we got it home and finally opened it, there were quarters ranging in multiple years, some dollar bills, and currency from Europe. There was a false bottom on the safe where we found a few items of jewelry in a black velvet like back and this was among them. After performing GemOro AuRacle Gold/Platinum Tester and JSP Acid testing solution the jeweler told us it was 10k gold around the pendant. The pendant itself has stamped on it "KIL" which we have no clue what that means. I can send detailed pictures if needed, but was wondering why there wouldn't even be a 10k stamp on the gold. Hope you can help! Thanks! Jimmy
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Roman Noses on the Subjects of Antique Cameo by: Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre
Hi Shelly and thanks for sharing! Your cameo is very lovely but it is not an antique cameo.
The female subject on the cameo, her pretty face, the hairstyle, her profile, slightly upturned nose, yes, the shape of the subject's nose is one of the easiest ways to tell if the cameo is antique or not. Don't be fooled by the frame! Antique cameo subjects, if you look carefully, have straight roman-shaped noses.
Thank you so much for your response and for the education! I would love to have you take a look at the piece and let me know what you think after you've seen it.
I can't figure out how to upload pictures here, so I created a link you can follow to pull them up from my online ftp site. Here is the link: (removed)
If you copy and paste this link into your browser, it will take you to the photos of the cameo.
Thank you again for your help and I look forward to hearing your response!
Best,
Shelley
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Shell Cameos, Subject, Age and Gold Marks on Mountings by: Anonymous
Shelley there are basically two types of cameos. Those made from Seashell, such as your one and those made from hard-stones of which agate was the most popular. Hard-stone cameos are more durable and therefore more valuable.
There are lots of questions about your cameo that remain unanswered. Has the cameo been remounted? Or is it the original? The mark you describe on the mount could be the goldsmiths mark, not the actually carver. To get an age date, we need to see the subject. The most valued cameos are 'metamorphic' ones. These include several subjects within one carving.
However, rarity not age determine a cameos value. Renaissance cameos are more valuable than Roman cameos simply because the Romans made more of them. So there are lots of of questions that need to be answered in regards the carving before any determination on the gold mark is made. A picture says a thousand words, and a photo of the cameo would help the expert a great deal. Please attach a photo in a follow-up submission if this is possible.
