Vintage large 1940’s cameo pin/pendant from Torres del Greco

This vintage cameo was carved in the 1940’s, it converts easily from pin to pendant and is set in vintage 800 continental silver. Its fine detail speaks of a master craftsmanship. The world’s most famous cameos come from Italy, especially the port town of Torre del Greco; situated halfway between Naples and Pompeii, about twelve kilometers south of Naples in the ominous shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which has remained the epicenter of Italian cameo production and coral jewelry making. Italians have pulled coral and seashells from the Mediterranean and the Adriatic since ancient times, using the bounty of the sea to make some of Italy’s most beautiful adornments. Alongside environmental concerns over delicate coral and reef reserves as well as important initiatives to protect them, the making of cameo and coral jewelry and other objects remains a vibrant industry in the Naples region. The Romans believed coral to have a protective effect over children, and bestowed coral pendants and bracelets on their newborns to ward off sickness and bad luck. The Roman philosopher Pliny, a noted naturalist, wrote that coral could be counted on to protect the wearer from being struck by lightning, and even could thwart would-be seducers whose advances may be unwelcome.