Carved Shell Cameo Brooch

You are likely to find exactly the carved shell cameo brooch you’re looking for on 1stDibs, as there is a broad range for sale. Every item for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using gold, yellow gold and white gold. Our collection of these items for sale includes 26 vintage editions and 2 modern creations to choose from as well. Making the right choice when shopping for a carved shell cameo brooch may mean carefully reviewing examples of this item dating from different eras — you can find an early iteration of this piece from the 19th Century and a newer version made as recently as the 21st Century, both of which have proven very popular over the years. Creating a carved shell cameo brooch has been a part of the legacy of many jewelers, but those produced by Cameo Italiano - Diluca S.R.L are consistently popular. While most can agree that any carved shell cameo brooch from our collection can easily elevate most outfits, but the choice of a diamond version from the 5 available is guaranteed to add a special touch to your ensemble. Today, if you’re looking for an oval cut version of this piece and are unable to find the perfect match, our selection also includes mixed cut and round cut alternatives. If you’re browsing our inventory for a carved shell cameo brooch, you’ll find that many are available today for women, but there are still pieces to choose from for unisex and men.

The price for a carved shell cameo brooch starts at $120 and tops out at $6,930 with these brooches, on average, selling for $760.

Vintage brooches, which refer to decorative jewelry traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.

While jewelry trends come and go, brooches are indeed back on the radar thanks to fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, Dior and Saint Laurent, all of which feature fun pinnable designs in their current collections. Whether a dazzlingly naturalistic Art Nouveau dragonfly, a whimsical David Webb animal, a gem-studded bloom or a streamlined abstract design, these jewels add color and sparkle to your look and a spring to your step. 

Given their long history, brooches have expectedly taken on a variety of different shapes and forms over time, with jewelers turning to assorted methods of ornamentation for these accessories, including enameling and the integration of pearls and gemstones. Cameo brooches that originated during the Victorian age are characterized by a shell carved in raised relief that feature portraits of a woman’s profile, while 19th-century micromosaic brooches, comprising innumerable individually placed glass fragments, sometimes feature miniature depictions of a pastoral scene in daily Roman life.

At one time, brooches were symbols of wealth, made primarily from the finest metals and showcasing exquisite precious gemstones. Today, these jewels are inclusive and universal, and you don’t have to travel very far to find an admirer of brooches. They can be richly geometric in form, such as the ornate diamond pins dating from the Art Deco era, or designer-specific, such as the celebrated naturalistic works created by Tiffany Co., the milk glass and gold confections crafted by Trifari or handmade vintage Chanel brooches of silk or laminated sheer fabric. Chanel, of course, has never abandoned this style, producing gorgeously baroque CC examples since the 1980s.

Brooches are versatile and adaptable. These decorative accessories can be worn in your hair, on hats, scarves and on the lower point of V-neck clothing. Pin a dazzling brooch to the lapel of your blazer-and-tee combo or add a cluster of smaller pins to your overcoat. And while brooches have their place in “mourning jewelry,” in that a mourning brooch is representative of your connection to a lost loved one, they’re widely seen as romantic and symbolic of love, so much so that a hardcore brooch enthusiast might advocate for brooches to be worn over the heart.

Today, find a wide variety of antique and vintage brooches for sale on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.