DIMENSIONS: 31mm in length; 24mm in width, 3mm in thickness. Weight is 3.12 grams.

ORIGIN: Torre Del Greco, Italy. Approximately 1850-1860.

NOTE: Mounted onto high quality contemporary sterling silver setting. Included is a silver electroplate chain. Sterling silver chains are available upon request. Also, if you prefer something a little more "authentic" to the piece, we also have available high quality (solid, not formed) handcrafted Greek leather cords. 14kt solid gold settings and chains available upon request (click here for more information).

NOTE: This same setting is also available in 14kt solid gold. If you would prefer a different setting style, odds are we have many different setting styles available which would fit this stone which could be substituted for no or very little additional cost. 14kt solid gold settings and 14kt gold fill (5% gold over 95% silver) are also available. Write us for pictures and prices.

NOTE: If you would like only the cameo, and not the setting, we can dismount the cameo and offer you the cameo without the setting. Just let us know, and yes, we’ll discount the price by the cost of the setting.

DETAILS: Absolutely gorgeous and historically significant are the best ways to describe this stunning cameo. For over 500 years a tiny town in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius has been famous for the production of cameos hand carved from sea shells. Although we have no idea who this elegant lady is, she must have been very proud to have her likeness carved into such a beautiful piece of jewelry. Genuine antique sea shell cameos from Torre Del Greco are very difficult to come by. We're fortunate to have a small collection - but when they are gone, they are gone forever. We have mounted this gorgeous piece into a high quality sterling silver setting which complements the cameo without overpowering it. We include an attractive silver electroplate chain. If you prefer, sterling silver chains are available, as are handcrafted Greek leather cords. The cameo could also be remounted into your choice of 14kt solid gold, and of course we have chains to match.

HISTORY OF CAMEOS: Cameos have been a popular form of artistic jewelry for around 2,500 years. Although some sources put the origin of cameo carving in Hellenic Alexandria, Egypt in the late fourth century B.C., evidence suggests that the Greeks brought it with them. In any event, cameos were extremely popular in the Greco-Roman world. The origin of the word may be the Hebrew "Kamea", for a charm or amulet; or Latin "Cammaeus" for an engraved gemstone. Cameos historically were produced from sea shells or semi-precious gemstones such as quartz agate. The most popular form of cameo in the Roman world was the intaglio cameo, where the image was carved out of the gemstone forming a recess. Typically the medium was transparent/translucent orange carnelian. There is a magnificent collection of such intaglio cameos in St. Petersburg, Russia, at The Hermitage.

Early Greek and Roman intaglios featured images of gods and goddesses, mythological themes, beautiful women, portraits of their owners, and biblical events. The second style of cameo was historically produced from sea shells or translucent or opaque gemstones such as banded agate. Here the image was cut in relief - successive of layers of material cut away to produce an image. Relief cameos from semi-precious stones such as agate were more common in the ancient world. Those carved from sea shells came much later, Medieval or Renaissance in origin. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, so did the art form of carving cameos, both relief and intaglio. The Renaissance revived the art form in the fifteenth century. A tiny town at the base of Mount Vesuvius (Torre Del Greco, Italy) became the center of cameo production from sea shells, and remains so today. A small town in Germany (Idar-Oberstein) became famous for the production of cameos from agate.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:

Vintage Jewelry: How vintage jewelry brings old-time glamour to the red carpet. Among all the gemstones paraded on the red carpets of Cannes, Venice, Hollywood and New York, some pieces leave an indelible impression. At this year’s Manus X Machina-themed Met Gala, the award for best supporting accessory went to a majestic diamond peacock, its tail curving over one strap of Uma Thurman’s custom-made Ralph Lauren ivory gown. Created as a special order by Cartier in 1948 and comprising 83.89ct of diamonds, the brooch demonstrated the power of vintage when it comes to making a statement on the red carpet.

"Vintage jewelry brings character and a sense of nostalgia to a look," says LA-based British stylist Tanya Gill, who dresses stars such as Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Jane Fonda. "I love the craftsmanship, the history and the patina. Sometimes I’ll build characters through the jewelry as though I am creating a look for a film."

Gill was responsible for the eye-catching vintage Bulgari bib necklace that Minnie Driver wore to the Vanity Fair Oscars party in 2014. Made in 1965, the necklace caught Gill’s eye at Bulgari’s Decades of Glamour pre-Oscar event. "It struck me as so exquisite in design and color, with the craftsmanship of the turquoise, cabochon emeralds, cabochon amethysts and diamonds, that it would be a unique statement for the right personality," she says. "It was perfect for the statuesque beauty of Minnie Driver."

It’s not only Hollywood’s grandes dames who carry off vintage glamour. At the Met Gala, Anna Wintour’s 29-year-old daughter, Bee Shaffer, was every inch the ingénue in 19th-century diamond chandelier earrings and a slim diamond headband by the New York-based vintage-jewelry specialist Fred Leighton, while at the reopening of Cartier’s Fifth Avenue mansion in September, Sienna Miller accessorized a fresh, floaty Valentino dress with a suite of diamond and emerald Cartier jewels from the 1920s.

The trend for vintage jewelry on the red carpet was kick-started in 1996, when Prada borrowed a 19th-century opal choker from Fred Leighton for a then-29-year-old Nicole Kidman. "It was a wonderful moment for us," recalls Rebecca Selva, Fred Leighton’s chief creative officer and public relations director. "It commanded tremendous attention because it was so different."

The collaboration sparked a long-term relationship with Kidman and began two decades of "beautiful and iconic moments" for Fred Leighton. Selva cites Charlize Theron’s appearance at the Vanity Fair Oscars party in 2000 as one of her favorites: clasped to the 25-year-old’s tangerine Vera Wang dress were two art-deco diamond clips. "Vera fell in love with the clips and then created the dress around them," says Selva. "The whole image was beautiful; it was Hollywood glamour in the most sophisticated and refined way."

Nowadays, as celebrity outfits are dissected on social media in real time, red-carpet appearances have even more effect on what used to be a very private, elitist market. "The internet has been great in spreading the message about vintage jewelry," says Selva. "There’s so much to discover – people realize it’s not what they thought it was. It’s not your grandmother’s jewelry, and nothing is so rarefied that it can’t be worn. Even our tiaras can be worn as headbands."

For Selva, increased visibility helps to dispel the myth that antique jewelry is outdated. "We have an unbelievable 19th-century diamond snake necklace that looks like the coolest piece anyone could wear, yet it’s almost 120 years old," she says. "It’s waiting for its red carpet moment."

Vintage jewelry’s reputation in the fashion world has been elevated further by Fred Leighton’s collaboration with Net-a-Porter, which began in 2014. Both antique jewels and new pieces from the Fred Leighton Collection (which are inspired by vintage designs) are available online, with prices ranging from £1,500 for a simple pair of drop earrings to tens of thousands for signed vintage pieces by the likes of Cartier, David Webb or Buccellati.

"We’ve had a really positive response, with jewelry often selling out within minutes," says Sophie Quy, fine-jewelry buyer at Net-a-Porter, who travels to the Fred Leighton store in New York up to four times a year to look for pieces. Diamonds, pearls and turquoise are bestsellers, along with chunky gold chain bracelets that customers wear stacked with modern designs. The site also works with Fred Leighton to source vintage pieces on demand.

Antique jewelry has also found a place in uber-fashionable department store Dover Street Market, which carries a selection of vintage rings and Victorian and Georgian tiaras by British jeweler Bentley & Skinner alongside its roster of modern brands. This departure from the notion of dusty vintage emporiums reflects an increasing desire to own something one-of-a-kind. "Vintage jewelry is much more interesting than anything you can buy now," says Max Michelson of the London vintage specialist SJ Phillips. "Instead of being tied to this year’s range, we have 400 years’ worth of ranges, so you’ll always find something that fits."

He says 20th-century pieces are far and away the most popular. "Everyone wants art deco because it’s stylish and nicely made, and being set in platinum it looks closer to modern jewelry than earlier pieces, which are set in silver. There’s also interest in bold pieces from the 1950s and ’60s." Unlike its American counterpart, SJ Phillips doesn’t shout about red-carpet appearances. "That type of advertising works in the States but not here," Michelson says. "Even if a piece has been worn by someone famous, we don’t tell people."

While signed vintage pieces carry a price premium, there are smart buys to be found. "There are some under-appreciated American makers such as Raymond Yard," says Michelson. "But there are also unsigned pieces that are a match to the big names but half the price." The main thing is that it speaks to the wearer. "We never claim that anything is going to be a good investment. It might be, but we’re not an investment broker." Rebecca Selva agrees: "If jewelry is fine and fabricated beautifully, it will hold its value, but I would certainly never sell it as an investment. It’s more about the joy you get from it." [Telegraph (UK)].

Vintage Jewelry: Dust off your old jewelry boxes and open-up the family vault because you might just be sitting on a fortune. That’s the message from London auctioneer Bonhams this week, as they announced new figures showing the soaring value of vintage jewels. Bonhams say the value of antique and period jewelry has increased by over 80% in the last decade - outdoing average house prices in England, which increased by 47% over the same period. Estimates have been abandoned on auction days, as items have been fetching double, sometimes triple, their predictions amid fierce bidding wars. And it’s prompted the auctioneer to launch a campaign urging the public to seek valuations for any forgotten gems they might have stashed away.

“An Art Deco Cartier emerald and diamond bracelet that we sold in December was estimated at £80,000-£100,000 and it made £210,000,” says Jean Ghika, head of jewelry at Bonhams UK and Europe. “These types of instances are our key indicators of a gain in momentum. It’s the quality of craftsmanship that is resonating with buyers, the types of stones that were used back then, compared to a modern piece, are special.” Vogue’s jewelry editor Carol Woolton isn’t surprised by the jewelry market’s strength in the current economic climate. “There are so few investments that are reliable right now - stocks are in a state of insecurity, but gold and diamonds will never be a risky purchase for a rich person trying to maintain their wealth,” she says. “There are limited resources in the world, mines will run out and there is a finite number of precious stones - that’s what gives it a rarity value.”

Even if you haven’t got a spare Cartier brooch in the attic to auction off, it’s worth noting that the trend described extends beyond designer names, and applies to specific stones, metals and eras, too. If the catwalks are revisiting silhouettes from a particular decade, the interest will echo through the jewelry world. “Signed items from the Art Deco period and antiques over 100 years old will always be in demand,” says Ghika. “But we’re now seeing post-war period, 1950s jewelry, as well as pieces from the 1960s and 1970s really performing well too.”

The thing that often prevents people from having their jewelry valued is the assumption that family heirlooms have been set aside because they’re no longer fashionable won’t be worth anything. “People often look at their items without understanding their importance in the context of jewelry history,” says Ghika. “We recently discovered a wonderful and rare Chanel Twist necklace, which a client had brought to a valuation day, but had thought it was just a piece of costume jewelry. But Chanel did make real jewelry as well as pieces in non-precious materials.” This 1950s necklace had a discreet engraving on the inside, indicating that it was actually designed by Coco herself, and it subsequently smashed its estimate of £6,000, fetching £68,500 on auction day.

So how can you tell if something is valuable when digging through an old jewelry stash? Start with the logos and hallmarks, suggests Ghika, noting that the big names (Cartier, Tiffany, Bulgari, Boucheron and Van Cleef and Arpels) will always be winners, but that key names from modern eras (like Andrew Grima of the 1960s, or John Donald of the 1970s) will have equally held their value. Next you should assess the piece’s construction; do the stones have rough edges, are they generously packed in, or was its maker trying to scrimp by using more metal, less diamonds? Even the battered and broken is not entirely beyond hope. “It’s not necessarily the end of the world if something has had some damage,” says Ghika. “Professional repairs, if done well, can be discreet. We have had items come into us in two pieces before and, after it is mended, it hasn’t greatly impacted on the value.”

The best way to truly know what something might be worth is, of course, to get it valued by a professional. Because it is unlikely that you will be able to tell that the sapphires in granny’s heirloom ring were super-desirable specimens from the Kashmir region or the product of a rare mining community that was only operational for a ten years at the end of the 19th Century. “The Bonhams website offers the option to submit photos if you want to get an initial impression from our experts, then we hold regular valuation days all over the UK,” advises Ghika. What you can do for yourself, though, is take care of the stocks you’ve got - whether you’re ready to sell them or not. “If you ever think you might sell jewelry on, then you must keep the boxes,” urges Woolton. “The boxes and the paperwork for stones will really add to their value and save a lot of confusion as to what something is when you sell.”

The worst thing you can do is to let your old jewelry rattle around in a disorganized box. “Don’t over-clean old pieces,” Ghika also warns. “Part of the history is the pattern that it has and if it’s stripped off then it lacks some of its soul.” Other expert tips include not keeping hard and soft stones together to prevent erosion, wiping pearls with a cloth after every wear to remove any oils or perfume, and even splitting pairs of earrings into individual soft pouches so that they don’t rub together. If you’re keen to run with 'gems over property’ as your new investment mantra, the experts say you may have to wait a while for the dividends if you choose more recent pieces. “jewelry takes a long time to appreciate,” says Ghika, who suggests buying classics distinct to particular makers, like Cartier’s Panthère collection. Woolton, meanwhile, tips Dior’s fine jeweler Victoire de Castellane as one who will create the “masterpieces of our time.”

One thing all experts agree on however, is that primarily jewelry should be worn and enjoyed, with any increase in value seen as an added bonus. “It’s all very well owning these wonderful things,” says Woolton. “But if investors lock them away and don’t wear them then you have to ask; where’s the fun in that?” [Telegraph (UK)].

Vintage Jewelry: The rise of online vintage jewelry auctions. As the Blue Moon diamond gets set for auction, our expert has the lowdown on the growing popularity of online sales which is making it easier than ever to bid for precious pieces. The global reach of the internet has raised the profiles of local salerooms and consumer confidence with it. When I was an auctioneer for Sotheby’s it was a one-person show; quite the adrenaline rush, the aim was to keep the “room” engaged in enthusiastic bidding. Today, with online sales increasing, auctions are just as busy but with fewer people actually in the room. Some of the thrill has gone but the benefit of online auctions is that they’ve boosted the profile of provincial salerooms, making them a force to be reckoned with.

At Woolley & Wallis Salisbury Salerooms, for instance, an Art Nouveau Lalique haircomb came up for auction last year. The piece was notable for two reasons: highly collectable names such as Lalique were once the preserve of well-known auction houses. Now, the global reach of the internet has raised the profiles of local salerooms and consumer confidence with it. But the haircomb made a particular impact because it had previously been bought at an auction in Wellington, New Zealand, where it was erroneously catalogued as plastic and sold for around £2,000. Woolley & Wallis’s sale attributed its genuine provenance as horn, and sold it for £29,000.

Here’s my guide to noted provincial auction houses which also offer online auctions. According to Jonathan Edwards, associate director at Woolley & Wallis auctioneers in Wiltshire, underbidders are making a big impact on prices being realized at auction today. There is also the fact that bids are coming not only from the UK but internationally, too. In May last year a natural pearl necklace was sold to an online bidder at the Wiltshire auctioneers for a staggering £89,000, against an estimate of £50,000-70,000. It is the highest-priced jewel sold online at Woolley & Wallis to date.

Fellows auctioneers, which offers more than 40 specialist jewelry sales a year, is witnessing a substantial annual increase in its online sales, which represents around 45 per cent of its turnover now. “Rare pieces are going out to a global marketplace and there is no snobbery about which auction house you bid in any more,” says Geoff Whitefield, insurance manager at Fellows. A client who thought a pair of earrings were costume jewelry was staggered when they went under the hammer for £25,000 this year. Fellows is holding jewelry auctions throughout November and December.

Bellmans recently sold a pair of Twenties French platinum-and-diamond bracelets, which linked together to also form a necklace, for £14,000. Jonathan Pratt, managing director at Bellmans, advises that anyone considering buying from an online auction should first check the saleroom’s professional accreditation. “Look for trade-association endorsement, such as the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers (SOFAA), and the Association of Accredited Auctioneers (AAA),” he says. It’s also worth checking that auction jewelry specialists are qualified and have obtained a recognized gemological certificate. Bellmans is holding a jewelry auction on 4 December.

The-saleroom.com started its live webcast auctions in 2006. Visitors to the site can browse auction catalogues and place bids over the internet in real time, with live audio and video feeds direct from the auction rooms. The site hosts jewelry auctions throughout the year, so if you are looking for a particular item, simply type keywords into the search engine and it will list suitable lots.

The most important sales are still the preserve of international auction houses Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams, not least because of their global reach and relationships with leading collectors and dealers. These are the sales where you will see jewels that will take your breath away, including the Blue Moon diamond going on sale at Sotheby’s Geneva on 11 November. The largest fancy vivid blue, internally flawless 12.03ct diamond ever to come up for auction, with an estimate of US$35-55million, looks likely to break all previous records.

“Auctioneers have adapted quickly to the demand for online bidding,” says Keith Penton, head of Christie’s London jewelry department. “It brings added interest and excitement to the atmosphere of the saleroom, particularly when the prospective buyer’s location is revealed to be in a far-flung location; it’s not unusual nowadays to hear: ‘sold to you on the internet in Bogota’.” (Note: Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams are not part of a sourcing portal platform so you will need to go to the individual websites to watch live auctions.)

For Bonhams, which last year conducted 43 jewelry sales around the world, online bidding has encouraged a new clientele. “It’s about bringing the auction experience to millions of people who have never set foot in a saleroom before,” explains Matthew Girling, global CEO and director of jewelry. Online bidders accounted for more than £5m of Bonhams jewelry sales in 2014. This is also reinforced by the increase in volume of registrations it is seeing at Bonhams monthly Knightsbridge jewelry sales.

Sotheby’s has also witnessed an increase in the number of online buyers participating in their worldwide jewelry sales over the past five years. In a 12-month period between 2013 and 2014, it saw a staggering 42 per cent increase in online bidding. So when that “Blue Moon” diamond goes up for auction at Sotheby’s Geneva, make sure you switch on your computer, get out the champagne, and witness a unique gem making history.

Anyone can listen to or watch a live auction by simply clicking on “view as a guest”, although for data protection reasons you will not be able to see anyone bidding in the room. At Sotheby’s and Christie’s major Geneva, New York and Hong Kong sales, both auction houses have their own facility where you need to register on the website to follow the action, which can make for compulsive viewing. If you want to register to bid, you’ll be required to answer a series of security questions and, ultimately, it is still the individual auction houses that will accept your application if you’re registering interest through a sourcing portal.

Once you’ve bid you have entered a binding contract with the auction house and if you are bidding via a sourcing portal such as thesaleroom.com there is a 3 per cent handling charge added to the final price after the buyer’s premium. Make sure you take a good hard look at all the images – including at the reverse image – as well as at the hallmarks. If the auctioneer has stipulated what the item is, then that is their guarantee. Also make sure you’ve checked dimensions so that there are no surprises when your item arrives and is much smaller or bigger than you’d hoped.

View the items first and build a relationship with the auction house: it is always reassuring if you know who you are talking to at the other end of the phone when advice is needed. [Telegraph (UK)].

A History of Silver: After gold, silver is the metal most widely used in jewelry and the most malleable. The oldest silver artifacts found by archaeologists date from ancient Sumeria about 4,000 B.C. At many points in the ancient world, it was actually more costly than gold, particularly in ancient Egypt. Silver is found in native form (i.e., in nuggets), as an alloy with gold (electrum), and in ores containing sulfur, arsenic, antimony or chlorine. Much of the silver originally found in the ancient world was actually a natural alloy of gold and silver (in nugget form) known as “electrum”.

The first large-scale silver mines were in Anatolia (ancient Turkey) and Armenia, where as early as 4,000 B.C. silver was extracted from lead ores by means of a complicated process known as “smelting”. Even then the process was not perfect, as ancient silver does contain trace elements, typically lead, gold, bismuth and other metals, and as much as a third of the silver was left behind in the slag. However measuring the concentrations of the “impurities” in ancient silver can help the forensic jewelry historian in determining the authenticity of classical items. From Turkey and Armenia silver refining technology spread to the rest of Asia Minor and Europe.

By about 2,500 B.C. the Babylonians were one of the major refiners of silver. Silver “treasures” recovered by archaeologists from the second and third millenniums demonstrate the high value the ancient Mediterranean and Near East placed upon silver. Some of the richest burials in history uncovered by archaeologists have been from this time frame, that of Queen Puabi of Ur, Sumeria (26th century B.C.); Tutankhamun (14th century B.C.), and the rich Trojan (25th century B.C.) and Mycenaean (18th century B.C.) treasures uncovered by Heinrich Schliemann.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the skin of their gods was composed of gold, and their bones were thought to be of silver. When silver was introduced into Egypt, it probably was more valuable than gold (silver was rarer and more valuable than gold in many Mesoamerican cultures as well). In surviving inventories of valuables, items of silver were listed above those of gold during the Old Kingdom. Jewelry made of silver was almost always thinner than gold pieces, as indicated by the bracelets of the 4th Dynasty (about 2,500 B.C.) Queen Hetephere I, in marked contrast to the extravagance of her heavy gold jewelry.

A silver treasure excavated by archaeologists and attributable to the reign of Amenemhat II who ruled during the 12th Dynasty (about 1900 B.C.), contained fine silver items which were actually produced in Crete, by the ancient Minoans. When the price of silver finally did fall due to more readily available supplies, for at least another thousand years (through at least the 19th dynasty, about 1,200 B.C.) the price of silver seems to have been fixed at half that of gold. Several royal mummies attributable to about 1,000 B.C. were even entombed in solid silver coffins.

Around 1,000 B.C. Greek Athenians began producing silver from the Laurium mines, and would supply much of the ancient Mediterranean world with its silver for almost 1,000 years. This ancient source was eventually supplemented around 800 B.C. (and then eventually supplanted) by the massive silver mines found in Spain by the Phoenicians and their colony (and ultimate successors) the Carthaginians (operated in part by Hannibal’s family). With the defeat of Carthage by Rome, the Romans gained control of these vast deposits, and mined massive amounts of silver from Spain, stripping entire forests regions for timber to fuel smelting operations. In fact, it was not until the Middle Ages that Spain’s silver mines (and her forests) were finally exhausted.

Although known during the Copper Age, silver made only rare appearances in jewelry before the classical age. Despite its infrequent use as jewelry however, silver was widely used as coinage due to its softness, brilliant color, and resistance to oxidation. Silver alloyed with gold in the form of “electrum” was coined to produce money around 700 B.C. by the Lydians of present-day Turkey. Having access to silver deposits and being able to mine them played a big role in the classical world. Actual silver coins were first produced in Lydia about 610 B.C., and subsequently in Athens in about 580 B.C.

Many historians have argued that it was the possession and exploitation of the Laurium mines by the Athenians that allowed them to become the most powerful city state in Greece. The Athenians were well aware of the significance of the mining operations to the prosperity of their city, as every citizen had shares in the mines. Enough silver was mined and refined at Laurium to finance the expansion of Athens as a trading and naval power. One estimate is that Laurium produced 160 million ounces of silver, worth six billion dollars today (when silver is by comparison relatively cheap and abundant). As the production of silver from the Laurium mines ultimately diminished, Greek silver production shifted to mines in Macedonia.

Silver coinage played a significant role in the ancient world. Macedonia’s coinage during the reign of Philip II (359-336 B.C.) circulated widely throughout the Hellenic world. His famous son, Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.), spread the concept of coinage throughout the lands he conquered. For both Philip II and Alexander silver coins became an essential way of paying their armies and meeting other military expenses. They also used coins to make a realistic portrait of the ruler of the country. The Romans also used silver coins to pay their legions. These coins were used for most daily transactions by administrators and traders throughout the empire.

Roman silver coins also served as an important means of political propaganda, extolling the virtues of Rome and her emperors, and continued in the Greek tradition of realistic portraiture. As well, many public works and architectural achievements were also depicted (among them the Coliseum, the Circus Maximus). In addition many important political events were recorded on the coinage. Roman coins depicted the assassination of Julius Caesar, alliances between cities, between emperors, between armies, etc. And many contenders for the throne of Rome are known only through their coinage.

Silver was also widely used as ornamental work and in other metal wares. In ancient cultures, especially in Rome, silver was highly prized for the making of plate ware, household utensils, and ornamental work. The stability of Rome’s economy and currency depended primarily on the output of the silver mines in Spain which they had wrested from the Carthaginians. In fact many historians would say that it was the control of the wealth of these silver mines which enabled Rome to conquer most of the Mediterranean world. When in 55 B.C. the Romans invaded Britain they were quick to discover and exploit the lead-silver deposits there as well.

Only six years later they had established many mines and Britain became another major source of silver for the Roman Empire. It is estimated that by the second century A.D., 10,000 tons of Roman silver coins were in circulation within the empire. That’s about 3½ billion silver coins (at the height of the empire, there were over 400 mints throughout the empire producing coinage). That’s ten times the total amount of silver available to Medieval Europe and the Islamic world combined as of about 800 A.D. Silver later lost its position of dominance to gold, particularly in the chaos following the fall of Rome. Large-scale mining in Spain petered out, and when large-scale silver mining finally resumed four centuries after the fall of Rome, most of the mining activity was in Central Europe.

By the time of the European High Middle Ages, silver once again became the principal material used for metal artwork. Huge quantities of silver from the New World also encouraged eager buyers in Europe, and enabled the Spanish to become major players in the late Medieval and Renaissance periods. Unlike the ores in Europe which required laborious extraction and refining methods to result in pure silver, solid silver was frequently found as placer deposits in stream beds in Spain’s “New World” colonies, reportedly in some instances solid slabs weighing as much as 2,500 pounds. Prior to the discovery of massive silver deposits in the New World, silver had been valued during the Middle Ages at about 10%-15% of the value of gold.

In 15th century the price of silver is estimated to have been around $1200 per ounce, based on 2010 dollars. The discovery of massive silver deposits in the New World during the succeeding centuries has caused the price to diminish greatly, falling to only 1-2% of the value of gold. The art of silver work flourished in the Renaissance, finding expression in virtually every imaginable form. Silver was often plated with gold and other decorative materials. Although silver sheets had been used to overlay wood and other metals since ancient Greece, an 18th-century technique of fusing thin silver sheets to copper brought silver goods called Sheffield plate within the reach of most people.

At the same time the use of silver in jewelry making had also started gaining popularity in the 17th century. It was often as support in settings for diamonds and other transparent precious stones, in order to encourage the reflection of light. Silver continued to gain in popularity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and by the 20th century competed with gold as the principal metal used in the manufacture of jewelry. Silver has the highest thermal and electrical conductivity of any metal, and one of the highest optical reflectivity values. It has a brilliant metallic luster, is very ductile and malleable, only slightly harder than gold, and is easily worked and polished.

When used in jewelry, silver is commonly alloyed to include 7.5% copper, known as “sterling silver”, to increase the hardness and reduce the melting temperature. Silver jewelry may be plated with 99.9% pure ‘Fine Silver’ to increase the shine when polished. It may also be plated with rhodium to prevent tarnish. Virtually all gold, with the exception of 24 carat gold, includes silver. Most gold alloys are primarily composed of only gold and silver. Throughout the history of the ancient world, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness, possessed of valuable metaphysical properties, and to provide protection. Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the "Papyrus Ebers" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals.

Gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. Precious minerals were likewise considered to have medicinal and “magical” properties in the ancient world. In its pure form silver is non toxic, and when mixed with other elements is used in a wide variety of medicines. Silver ions and silver compounds show a toxic effect on some bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi. Silver was widely used before the advent of antibiotics to prevent and treat infections, silver nitrate being the prevalent form. Silver Iodide was used in babies' eyes upon birth to prevent blinding as the result of bacterial contamination.

Silver is still widely used in topical gels and impregnated into bandages because of its wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The recorded use of silver to prevent infection dates to ancient Greece and Rome. Hippocrates, the ancient (5th century B.C.) Greek "father of medicine" wrote that silver had beneficial healing and anti-disease properties. The ancient Phoenicians stored water, wine, and vinegar in silver bottles to prevent spoiling. These uses were “rediscovered” in the Middle Ages, when silver was used for several purposes; such as to disinfect water and food during storage, and also for the treatment of burns and wounds as a wound dressing.

The ingestion of colloidal silver was also believed to help restore the body's “electromagnetic balance” to a state of equilibrium, and it was believed to detoxify the liver and spleen. In the 19th century sailors on long ocean voyages would put silver coins in barrels of water and wine to keep the liquid potable. Silver (and gold) foil is also used through the world as a food decoration. Traditional Indian dishes sometimes include the use of decorative silver foil, and in various cultures silver dragée (silver coated sugar balls) are used to decorate cakes, cookies, and other dessert items. [AncientGifts].

SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex). International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per item so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with.

Please note for international purchasers we will do everything we can to minimize your liability for VAT and/or duties. But we cannot assume any responsibility or liability for whatever taxes or duties may be levied on your purchase by the country of your residence. If you don’t like the tax and duty schemes your government imposes, please complain to them. We have no ability to influence or moderate your country’s tax/duty schemes. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less any non-refundable eBay fees. Please note that though they generally do, eBay may not always refund payment processing fees on returns beyond a 30-day purchase window. So except for shipping costs and any payment processing fees not refunded by eBay, we will refund all proceeds from the sale of a return item. Obviously we have no ability to influence, modify or waive eBay policies.

ABOUT US: Prior to our retirement we used to travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia several times a year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers. Most of the items we offer came from acquisitions we made in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) during these years from various institutions and dealers. Much of what we generate on Etsy, Amazon and Ebay goes to support worthy institutions in Europe and Asia connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. Though we have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, our primary interests are ancient/antique jewelry and gemstones, a reflection of our academic backgrounds.

Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia antique gemstones are commonly dismounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset. Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them originally crafted a century or more ago. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting.

Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from us. There is a $3 fee for mailing under separate cover. I will always respond to every inquiry whether via email or eBay message, so please feel free to write.