We have touched on antique cameo jewelry twice. If the posts were a little technical, here is the antidote. 

#7572 cameo parure.  

Napoleon and Josephine set the tone for jewelry consumption in the years circa 1796-1910, (when Napoleon replaced Josephine with a younger model, trophy wife). No era ever came close to that decade of passionate over-consumption.  The Emperor actually dictated and demanded lavish consumerism as a means of stimulating the economy  and Josephine surpassed all limits and logic in her pursuit of clothes and especially, jewelry. Annually, she overspent her lavish personal allowance many times over. Napoleon's many brothers and sisters, their spouses and the entire upper class stampeded close behind. It was de rigeur to wear very expensive jewelry to all court functions. Ladies wore multiple rings on every finger, as many as 8 necklaces around their necks... there were no upper limits.  

While the finest gems were worn on every part of the body and sewn into every garment of clothing, the Imperial couple saw nothing incongruous in coupling cameos with expensive diamonds and other precious stones. Not only that, they were crazy about cameos, which were the focus of much 'aristocratic' jewelry. Artists of the day painted portraits of the Napoleonic clan, wearing cameos, often surrounded by large diamonds, from head to toe and on every article of clothing. 

Fortunately for the Bonaparte clan, the sisters lived in what is now Italy.   Caroline especially, loved cameos. She could ship them off as gifts to her brother, or upon demand, not least because she was pretty involved in the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, where ancient cameos were being discovered. 

When the supply of Ancient cameo's did not suffice, imitations in stone, shell and glass were carved.  Napoleon took pains to encourage their creation and to this end actually established a school for engraving on gemstones. Most intriguing, they made a point of employing a number of deaf mutes in this endeavour.  Napoleon further showed his regard for cameos by inaugurating a competition for cameo carving, much like the great Art competitions of the day. 

#5354 Napoleonic cameos depicting the Imperial couple. Actually dates to the First Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte.  

Almost at the same time, we have another great, great, cameo story: 

Around the 18th and early 19th century, there was a resurgence of cameo popularity with a focus primarily on the Ancient Classics. It was at this time that the great Poniatowsky scandal took place. 
Prince Stanisław Poniatowski (1754-1833) was the nephew of the last king of Poland. Highly accomplished in many arts, including the military, he was well educated and well-travelled. He was one of the great collectors of the 19th century and put together a huge collection (2600 pieces) of cameos and intaglios. Rumours are that Poniatowski became increasingly reclusive as he aged. Was this connected to his cameo collection? Somewhat shrouded in mystery, the cameos were finally to be auctioned off by Christies in 1839, after the Prince's death. And then the explosive news: the cameos were denounced as fakes. Poniatowski had had them carved by master craftsmen in Rome.
 Ironically, this does not detract from their brilliance. Poniatowski gems, now well over 200 years old, are eagerly sought after and increasingly valuable in themselves.

#6281 Luigi Rosi

There is a plethora of great names associated with cameo carving. Here are two from two countries:
Wilhelm Schmidt carved gems, most famously opals, in Germany. Every now and then a beautiful opal carving comes up for sale - attributed to Schmidt, but unsigned. How do we know? We can only reiterate our tip at the end of the last post: learn as much as you can and ultimately, go with what you love.

One of the great Italian carvers of the 19th century, producing cameos in the Ancient or Classic style, was Luigi Rosi. His cameos are usually signed in script on the back. The signature is usually not immediately noticeable or legible. Always look at the back and turn the stone in different directions to catch the light 'just right' to find the signature. 

#7582 Luigi Rosi

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See other cameo intaglio posts.