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| Vintage Cameo |
As I finish another evening watching small goblins disappear from by doorstep I have been reminiscing with my husband about our favorite Halloween memories and traditions. It seems that although we grew up almost 700 miles apart, we both attended Halloween activities at the local church that included many of the same simple games and left us with the inexpensive plastic toys you might find at a dollar store today. We both proudly brought home goldfish that might last until Thanksgiving with great care, only to be lost to inexperienced childhood neglect before Christmas.
This is perhaps why I have been so fascinated this year with the collection of cameos, many of them carved in the early 20th Century that I was able to purchase a few years ago. These beautiful pieces remind me of the simple times I was able to just sit and listen to my large extended family, especially my grandparents tell me about their youth and what things were like when my parents were young. These items feel like a gift from the past that I can pass to the future.
It is strange then that the pendant that I have enjoyed finishing the most is a cameo that was carved only a few years ago by a modern Italian Cameo artist that shows two lovely ladies surrounded by the moon. When I purchased this large 55 mm x 45 mm cameo I was not sure how I would be able to properly set the cameo without marring the intricate carving on the right hand side of the piece. After a few years of pondering the problem, I think my solution is one of my favorite cameo settings to date.
There are only a few weeks left before another year has ended and I am looking forward to making new memories that will last as poignantly as those that have stirred tonight.
