Clueless as to where to shop for Cameos in Venice Italy......
 

Greetings all,

I will be traveling to Venice in the next couple of days and my mother would like for me to bring her back an authentic cameo pendent or pin. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase?

Thanks!

We went into one of the nice jewelry stores near St. Mark's Square and got mine. Sorry I don't remember the name, it's been a while.

Cameos! This is what I can bring for my boys' girlfriends! Thank you for the idea, Vanenechy!

Gosh, those on-line are expensive!!

Do some research in advance online to become familiar with all that is involved about cameos (history, materials used, etc.) Buying a cameo can be complicated and there is a huge range of price, from moderate to quite expensive.

The best Cameos' production is near Naples in Torre del Greco, close to Pompeii. You would find there, many craft shops and the best price. You will find something in Venice, coming from the area I told you, in some souvenir nice shop or in some jewelry in the"Mercerie" area, behind St Marco's Square.

Venice is for glass, lots and lots of it, start looking at glass necklaces/bracelets and you might get hooked. I can spend days going in and out of dozens of little shops stuffed with pretty things.

Cameos are not produced locally.

Just curious: Why cameos in Venice? Go to your local mall and buy one, and tell mom it's from Venice.

Why cameos in Venice, indeed? Ignoring the fact that this is an old post, topped by a first-time poster advertising a business, Venice is not a center for cameo production.

The Rialto bridge has two cameo shops. One merely buys and sells cameos; the other -- Eredi Jovon-- also makes them, and they keep in stock older traditional designs that you can't find elsewhere. I wanted to replace an old worn-out cameo in a ring; they were the only place that had the old design in the right size. They are also lovely people to deal with, and have very reasonable prices.

Well, there are cameos and then cameos. the one I bought on my first trip is my favorite--unusual, maybe, in that it isn't a woman's head but a horse. So selection in Italy anywhere will be better than lying about it from the mall, IF they even had one.

Gioiellerie Mandile is in Napoli, Sorrento, Ischia-- perhaps a website is available, and they might suggest a source from which they sell in Venice area. Purchased brooch & earrings there 10 years ago and still in the cute little box! Perhaps a linen hanky instead or pretty glassware.

I used to buy some jewelry in Italy - when the prices were good. They definitely have things different than in the US - with unique pieces and often very good work. But do shop a lot before you go so you know what to look for - and realize that bargains are long gone and prices will probably be higher than in the US.

I bought a beautiful large cameo in Naples in 2012 with the help of our guide. She is also a gemologist and took me to a wholesale jeweller.
Imagine my surprise when I had all my jewellery appraised last month to find out it was worth five times what I paid for it.
It doesn't make me like it anymore, I loved it anyway, but was surprising.

There are also resin molded fakes. There are many online articles describing how to tell fake cameos from the real ones. At minimum, take a 10x loupe with you.

In one store, the sales person was enthusiastic about trying to sell me a cameo until I whipped out a 10x loupe. Then, suddenly no one wanted to be near me. That alone was almost a dead ringer. Sure enough, the 10x loupe showed smooth blurred edges likely to be a molded resin fake.

At stores selling real cameos, the owners were not dismayed when I whipped out my loupe. They were confident I would find their merchandises as real cameos.

My aunt gave me a beautiful Cameo after her trip to Italy.
She told me all about her trip.I was pretty young 16 but I remember her telling me that it was hand made in a little shop near Naples.
She always brought me hand crafted gifts.I am sure nothing came from a mall because they all have stories about the place culture and the person that made them.
That's what makes all the items special.
Anyway sorry for going off track. Naples for Cameos.