Halloween Night

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.

Italian Cameo

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.

Thansgiving 2014

As I reflect on this past year and the many events that have shaped my life, I am left feeling grateful for some of the simple items and images that my mother and aunt gave me each Thanksgiving.  My brothers and I used the day to relax and play - we grew up with each other as our most frequent playmates.
The afternoon was spent with a simple and traditional meal with our cousins who lived just a half block away.  Familiar items from the Tupperware with the melted spot in it to hold the punch to grandma's cast iron pot for the turkey came out each year.

Vintage Whole Conch Shell Cameo

These items always bring me back to nostalgic inspirations in my jewelry making especially using classic items like a cameo.

Vintage Shell Cameo

Seeing a masterfully carved full conch shell that shows off the carver's skill to the delicate work of a small and delicate details that can be worn as a pendant always leave me in awe.

When working with cameos, I try to keep in mind that there are two artists hands on every finished piece and that it is my job to ensure that my work only enhances the vision of the original carver.

A cameo is something that reminds me to honor the past each day that I wear or look at one.