The origin of cameos is going back to the ancient Greece and Roman Empire. The purpose then was to memorize the image of the loved one, honor the worrier's hero, the emperors. The first cameo known was actually a profile of a man's emperor's not a profile of women face,
like it is so popular today, look on the side picture >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
But image of women face becomes very fashionably by 19 centuries. Queen Victoria made them immensely popular across Europe There is special shell (cassis mollusks) in Italy in Torre Del Greco where it becomes like the center to engrave the shell and manufactured the traditional profile of lady face cameo. Unfortunately, most cameos today are made from plastic mold, manufactured and multiply by millions. The more expensive one are computer design and laser cut in stones (agate, amber) set in gold or silver frames also multiply by millions...
My cameo faces are really handmade sculpture, curved with Polymer Clay. I use dentist tools to make the engravings in miniature details, there is no mold, there is no two the same pieces ever, there are One of a Kind unique pieces. I can also recreate for custom order similar cameo face of your loved one from your photo.
Please contact me before your order and please consider that is all really handmade process so it never will be exactly the same as on the picture
annaliss@comcast.net