A cameo is a piece of shell, coral, or gemstone that is often hand-carved with a design or figure that is raised above the background layer. Costume jewelry cameos can be found, but these are much cheaper imitations. These are not hand-carved, are molded out of plastic, glass, or resin, and are set in base metals.

Are cameos hand carved?

A cameo is a material that is carved with a raised relief that often depicts a profile of a face or a mythical scene. Cameos are commonly made out of shell, coral, stone, lava, or glass. These carvings are set in either gold or silver. These are not hand-carved and are not worth a lot of money.