The most popular cameo rings today are carved from Italian shell made from gold or silver cameo ring settings. Making cameo rings was popularized in the fifteenth or sixteenth century in Italy but started much earlier more then 2000 years ago by the Romans  but  was popularized by Queen Victoria of England.

Today cameo rings can be worn by both men and women and are usually crafted to fit the cameo to its exact size. Called a custom ring frame rather then a manufactured cameo ring setting.  The most popular size for a cameo ring is about 18x13mm, about the size  of a dime but usually shaped oval. American ring sizes go from #1 to #15 with the average woman's ring being about size 7

In hundreds of years since cameo rings have been used in different ways.

• Early Greek and Romans used scenes from mythology, beautiful women and religious Gods.
• Many  valuable cameo rings  through history feature men of great power and popularity.
• Pope Paul II was an avid cameo ring collector and his excessive display of cameo rings  kept his hands so cold  he caught  a cold and he died from it.
• Women began collecting cameo rings from lava and shell and traveled  to the ruins of Pompeii in Italy to acquire them.
• During the 18th century, men wore carved gem cameo rings.
•  Napoleon Bonaparte , who wore a cameo on special occasions founded a school in France that taught cameo carving. Many of them small to make that perfect cameo ring. Many ivory cameos came from this school and an abundance of ivory pendants and cameo rings still exist today from that school.
• Today both cameo rings made from shell and cameo rings cut from agate gemstone are as popular as ever and keep appreciating in price and value!
   

SEE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF CAMEOS HERE