Italian Heirloom Graceful Lady Cameo by: Anonymous
More than likely your cameo is of Italian origin.
The Italians are renowned for their masterful cameo carving. During the Golden years of Torre del Greco, the wealthy Victorians would travel to Europe and one of the highlights of the "Grand Tour" was buying a cameo masterpiece, perhaps a Greek mythological cameo in miniature in Torre del Greco, on the Bay of Naples in Italy.
The fashion to visit the the "Tower of the Greek" which is the English translation of the city - Torre del Greco began in the 16th century.
Some of the very wealthy families including Italian nobility built elaborate summer villas on the outskirts of the town. Cameo lovers from all over the world still include Torre Del Greco as a tourist destination.
From the 1950s, big development and urbanization stripped the city of its "rural" atmosphere and contributed to the trend of tourists going on to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Even so, coral cameo art and jewellery remains a mainstay of the city 's economy.
Your Cameo of graceful lady is a timeless classic and your heirloom piece captures this quality so candidly.
