The Helmet Shells. Cameo Shells 



The two semi-precious stones named in the descriptions of 

 cameo shells call attention to the fact that cameo-cutting, one 

 of the fine arts of antiquity, used stone only as material, for 

 centuries. Then lava came to be used for cheap work. Shells 

 were first used in 1820 in Italy. The best shell cameos are made 

 in Genoa and Rome. Many cutters are at work in Paris. 



C. cornuta has the fault of "doubling" occasionally: that 

 is, its two layers separate, and the work counts for naught. The 

 pink queen conch has the fault of fading. At best, it furnishes 

 but one good brooch. 



The red underlying the white in C. rufa becomes thinner 

 and paler as it extends backward, so a single brooch and a few 

 cuff buttons or shirt studs are all a big shell can be expected to 

 yield. Still, the enamel is so thick and the colours so good, this 

 species will always remain in great request for cameos. There 

 are often twenty laminae or layers of enamel on the lip. Besides 

 cameos, beads are cut from the linings of helmet shells. 



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