Jewelry Experts -- Great ebay deal?

14 years ago

I just received a pair of cameo earrings I bought for $20 on ebay, and suspect they're much nicer than I thought. (The carvings are actually much prettier and more detailed than they photograph; the spots on the right cameo are dust-specks that 'blew away' with a good puff of air - sorry.)

They are hand-carved shell cameos, 1/2" x 3/4" in size. The gold frames are beautifully fitted and detailed, even under a 50x loupe, and they are marked 'RB 835' on the back. Most of the other cameo jewelry I looked at in that price range was framed in 10K or 14K gold -- so if the 835 indicates gold purity, that seems highly unusual. But these earrings just look too well made to be costume. I have no idea if the card the earrings arrived in was original, but it's clearly old and dirty, and Italy is 'cameo central'...

What do you all think?

Featured Answer

moonshadow

14 years ago

I see differences too, cuz I zoomed way in, and that also made me wonder if they are not hand carved. Look at the neck of the gown on the left, it looks like a 'v' neck. The one on the right appears more rounded (can't see the bottom of the 'v' anyway). Look at the waves in the end of the hair, behind the ear at the nape of the neck. On the right it appears to be 3 thinner symmetrical waves, on the left it appears to be two fuller waves. Facial features; the one on the right appears to have a more pointed chin, more defined lips, rounded nose. The one on the left has a softer chin, softer lips, straighter 'romanesque' nose (that's not a word, lol).

If they were not hand carved, wouldn't the only other option then be machine made? And if machine made, wouldn't they be much closer to almost virtually identical? (Don't know about cameos much.) Imagine the skilled labor that would have to go into something hand-carved in such minute detail! Here is an example I found (bottom center of page), they are cuff links, but still a matching pair, they have subtle differences as well and are priced at $500.

I just did a little googling, and found this from How to Identify Antique Vintage Sterling and Silver Jewelry Content:
Look for marks, usually on the inside or clasp. If the jewelry is marked 800, it is considered COIN SILVER, and is 80 percent silver with 20 percent alloy. Jewelry must be .925 to be sterling silver in the USA. Most of the newer jewelry is marked .925 if it is sterling silver. .950 is a little better quality of sterling silver, and is found in older jewelry. .835 is common for older European silver.

This offers some dating for the .835 silver in Europe. (I'm not big on yahoo's Q&A but that answer came from a librarian it says. ;)

They are very pretty sweeby!

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Comments (14)

theroselvr
14 years ago
I have nothing to add except that they are pretty. I've always loved cameo jewelry.
golddust
14 years ago
I asked DH about 835. He said either it's more pure than 18 k (maybe 20 K) or sometimes silver from other countries are less pure than sterling, which is 925.
He said he has never heard of 835 gold.

He said he is clueless without seeing them in real life but for $20.00, you should enjoy the heck out of them. LOL! I have an Italian shell with a cameo carved on it that sits on the back of my toilet. Inherited from my Italian Auntie.
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sweeby
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Golddust -- I had never heard of 20K gold either, but a quick Google does seem to indicate that it exists -- though infrequently. If the 835 refers to silver (which seems to be more common), would that mean these are vermeil? (which seems more in line with traditional cameo settings)

Actually, I got them for a Christmas jewelry swap my ladies' group does. I always shop ebay and end up bringing the item that is the most stolen! But these? I may have to keep...
yborgal
14 years ago
I think they're lovely, but it looks like the faces aren't alike. If that's the case then I'd question whether they're really valuable. For $20, though, I'd enjoy wearing them and showing them off.
sweeby
Original Author
14 years ago
Actually Mona, the faces are very alike, just mirror images. Poor photography on my part...
dilly_dally
14 years ago
I thought the faces were slightly different also and that may indicate that they really are carved. But if you say that they are identical then that would more likely indicate that they are molded plastic.

They need to be appraised up close and not by a photo. One can tell by the feel of them.
mcmann
14 years ago
I have 2 cameos, a large pin and one on a chain which was a wedding present from my husband, it was my 'something old'. I just took a good look at mine and noticed that if you hold it face up to the light it's almost translucent, you can see the carved image from the back of the cameo.

I have no idea if that's significant or not. It probably has more to do with what shell or other material was used for the carving.
sweeby
Original Author
14 years ago
The faces are very alike, but not identical -- the nose on one is slightly more convex, the earring a touch more pronounced. And if you look closely, you can see some faint 'tool marks' and slightly different planes on the shell, so I'm pretty sure thye're hand-carved. I also compared them to an exquisite antique cameo I inherited and a nice costume (plastic) pair I bought some years ago. You can definitely see the difference..

I guess it's really the '835' I'm wondering about...
glaserberl
14 years ago
Could they be from Germany? In Germany it is possible to stamp gold 835. It is more commonly used for silver, but allowed.
nicole__
14 years ago
I buy a lot of jewelry on Ebay. I'm always thrilled at the deals I get!!!!! $20 is a bargain compared to anything near that quality here in the states. RB 835 is a manufacturers mark, like a "lot" number. It has nothing to do with the gold content. There should be other markings to determine that, unless.....the earrings were NOT made to be exported or made before the year 1913(if I remember correctly?), when it became mandatory to mark gold content on jewelry.

These earrings "do" look like hand carved shell to me.In the old days,gold was typically 9K. If you truly wish to determine the gold content any competent jeweler can do a scratch test, often for free. Some people take jewelry to pawn shops, who test the piece for free in hopes of buying your piece. Enjoy!!!!!!! GREAT SCORE!!!!
sweeby
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Nicole --

I looked closely with the loupe and didn't see any other markings that might be indicative of gold content, and your explanation seems to make the most sense given the context. 9K gold seems much more in line with what was commonly used for cameo jewelry, and 1913 was a popular era for cameo jewelry - so that makes sense. The loop part of the backings are light-weight enough but the working parts are quite substantial -- which makes it seem to me like the maker was carefully balancing quality vrs. metal content.

There's a suposedly "good" pawn shop not too far from here, so if our local jeweller doesn't offer a free scratch test, I might just try that... Or would a place that advertises they "Buy Gold!" do a scratch test?
Starr McKittrick
7 years ago
I have a pin/pendant that looks like it matches your earrings. Same 835 mark.
Mordorian Queen
6 years ago
Hello from The Netherlands. 835 is a silver purity mark used by a number of continental countries. Your pin/brooch is gold plated silver. You can see the list here: http://www.925-1000.com/a_Standards.html

Jewelry Experts -- Great ebay deal?

moonshadow

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