Bracelet Elaide

The word cameo comes from the Arabic gama which means “flower bud”. Still today, it is processed following the secular tradition. Artisans begin with the incision of a stratified stone (or a shell, particularly the Cassis from the South Seas), with two distinct layers of color. So, they can clearly isolate the figure in relief from the background. In Italy the most prestigious cameos are made by master engravers of Torre del Greco. The cameo can be compared to a miniature sculpture.

It is not a stone but a grain of sand, a fragment of coral or a parasite infiltrated inside an oyster, which covers it with beautiful layers of mother-of-pearl to protect itself. The main varieties are the Akoya Pearl (Japan), the Fresh Water Pearl (China, Japan), the South Sea Pearl (Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines) and the Tahitian Pearl. They are said to be the symbol of purity and love. According to Eastern tradition, they are dew drops caught by the oysters.