Agate cameos and shell cameos: what differences

Agate cameos and shell cameos: what differences

22-05-2020
Centuries of history are enclosed behind the history of the cameo. We have traced it from the remains of the ancient ruins of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
The cameo is, therefore, an art that comes from far away and has its roots in a classic tradition that still today represents the emblem of its own and exclusive workmanship of the city of Torre del Greco.
The cameos most commonly required today are agate cameos and shell cameos. Both types of cameos have very particular characteristics that differentiate them both in the type of processing and in the final result.
 

The cameo manufacturing

 
The cameo processing arrived in Torre del Greco more than 200 years ago, and over time it has changed the types of raw materials used. In the city there have been important factories for the processing of turtle and ivory, today no longer possible because they are recognized as protected species.
Today, the cameo processing is based in Torre del Greco on shell and coral. The processing is totally handmade: from the selection, to the cutting, up to the final engraving, more than two hundred years of know-how makes the difference and represents a distinctive element that brings the recognition of this product around the world.
Each cameo, from the smallest to the largest, from the cheapest to the most expensive, represents a real work of art, the result of man's work, and which no machinery can ever replace.
 

Cameos on hard stones

 
When we talk about cameos on hard stones, such as agates, we are talking about totally different processes, the result of the work of ad hoc machinery.
This type of production is not comparable to those of Torre del Greco. Most of the agate cameos are made in Germany. The agate cameos are all the same, precisely because they are made with mechanical techniques that faithfully reproduce the image. We are not talking, therefore, of unique pieces, but objects made in series.
This element is really important, but also a limit because it does not allow the customization. In fact, each design needs a matrix that costs thousands of euros to be made.
The shell cameo, on the other hand, being made entirely by hand, is free from this limit, and is by its nature brought to any type of customization.