The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-02-19
Cameo Cutting.

few cutters and there is a steady demand
for all they can produce. The cutters are
very secretive and greatly dislike to talk
about their work. Most of the canoes are
produced from sea shells. \ visit to a
cameo cutters workshop found him seated
at table covered with tools, varying from
strong triangular pointed steel instru-
ment, to the most delicate pointed bits of
steel wire fastened in handles. Very fine
files and knitting needles, set in wooden
grips and ground to iufnitesimal points,
| figured in the lot. On a pad of leather,
before the cameo cutter, was a block of
wood just big enough to be grasped with
/ his hand, and cemented to the middle of
it was an oval object that looked like a
piece of alabaster, just big enough to make
a seal for the finger of man who did not
object to wearing large rings. Upon this
the artist was just finishing copy, with a
pencil pointed to needle iueness, ola pho
tograph in profile of a gentleman, which
was leaned against little photograph easel
before him.
Having finished the outline, he laid his
pencil by, and taking up fine wire tool
he scratched the pencil mark around with
it. Then he took darning- needle with
sharp point and scratched the line deeper
He worked with magnifying glass at his
eye, and stopped continually to inspect the
progress of his work with critical minute
ness. Then he went at it again, working
slowly, scratching over the same line again
and again, and always examining after
each scratch. He changed his tools as he
went on. aud from the darning needle de-
.ceuded to a trifing little fragment Of steel
wire. not as thick as an ordinary sewing
needle. set in a slender handle With this
/ he scratched and rescrasched, until the
{ lines he had drawn with his pencil had
quite vanished, aud thin, fine streak Of
I dark color had marked the outline of the
head he had been tracing his way around.
Next he took one Of his burin-like tools,
/ and commenced again This time he worke
I on the outside of the outline, cutting aud
scrapiug at the surface until the white
turned gray, then brown, aud finally van
ished, leaving the face iu relief, surrounded
I By black ground; that is, the porirai, re-
nained intact in the white substance which
formed the outer layer Of the cameo, while
it bad been cut away around it to the
lower or dark layer.
/ The portrait or figure is then modulated
upon its surface until it assumes the round
ness of nature. The edges are left square
to the dark grouBd. This is necessary, as,
If they are gradually rounded down, the
outline becomes underlined toward its Juno
ture with the relieving surface, owing to
the white Of the raised portion being par
tally transparent aud permitting the dark
TO show through when il is thianed down.
Care Is taken TO iuish this dark surface as
much as possible with the cutting tools,
aud 80 separate the white from i, as to
leave il smooth and unseratehed. \ FINAL
polish Is given it, however, with putty
powder, applied dry with stiff brush, but
the utmost care is necessary in this opera
,ion. a. the slightest slip viii ruin the
work. This ends the cameo cutter work
the mounting being the jewelers. work.
/ The canoes sell unmouu,cd for about S25.
Italy IS the home Of cameo cutting, and
the finest works Of art 10 that line are still
turned out there. Genoa and Rome are
the centres Of production There j. a
colony Of several thousand eameo-eutters in
Paris who prodaee some very good work
The canoes made abroad are, as 4 rule
fauciiul works, copies Of statues, myiholo.
gical figures aud the like. The shells used
iu cameo cutting are Of several sorts, but
all are ordinary sea shells or COUGHS Some
come from the East and others FROM the
Wes, Indies Many are imported, as there
is commonly only enough material availa
ble 10 each one for a single cameo. These
shells ell have a white surface, but the il
uer layer is red, black and dark elaret iu
color. according to the species The pieces
to be used By the artist are saved from the
shells aud shsped into the square or oval
form required on grindstone. Then they
are ready for the artist.