For hundreds of years, the faces of cameos have looked out from necklines, lapels and waistcoats. For the collector, there are two ways to bring these beauties home. If, however, you want an antique cameo durable enough to pass on to your grandchildren, your best bet is the more expensive hardstone cameo. The finest cameo jewelry is hardstone, a term that refers to a wide range of semi-precious and stone materials. Agate is the most popular.
Agate comes in a range of colors.
Many cameo carvings take advantage of the stone's multicolored layers. Rarity, not necessarily age, determine a cameo's value. For connoisseurs, the most desirable agate cameos are those that incorporate three or four layers of color into the portrait. The hair might be medium brown, the skin white, the dress a contrasting tone, the background darker still. Coral is another colorful cameo stone, popular during the Victorian era as a symbol of good luck.