New-York tribune., 1881-11-21
CUTTING CAMEO PORTRAITS.

A TALK WITH MAN WHO DOES THIS WORK IN
yFw-YORK-THR PROCESS OF CUTTING.
"Yes - said n cameo cutter to a TRIBUNE reporter
roconfIv the demand for the old style of cameo
iewelry is decreasing rapidly, but the demand for
good portrait canoes is increasing just rs fast 1T
Is the general impression that good cameo por-
traits are cut in this country. but that they all come
from Paris. As far as | know there no portrait
cnttcrs in this country outside of New-IOrk There
il one cutter of cheap canoes in Boston, but they
send TO Ncw-York for all the portraits they have
orders for"
Are there frst-class portrait cutters in this
cityp
"WelI. claim that there is one at least. here. l
have made cameo portraits of Garfield. A. T. Stew
art. ex-President Hayes, the late Senator Morton
OF Indiana. Mrs Scott SiddOns and many other
prominent men and women, AMI here are letters
from Mr.. Hayes and Mrs. Garfield praisng the
portraits highly. A galvano-pasti copy of the
Garfield cameo | sold for 800 10 a sculptor, who
had an order 10 make n marble baS-recf of
the late President. The original cameo portrait
was bought hv jewecr and set in n broad, gold
setting IN which thirty-elght larger gems were sci;
thrty-oUr diamonds close 10 the cameo, two rubles
above and two below and two eneralds on each
side, without the row of diamonds. This copy of
the well-known picture Cleopatra before Caesar"
value NJ . 900. II ~, as Won see, an oval, three
and ouc-hall inches long and two and one-half
wide. The cost Of the stone before it was dressed
for cutting was $50 worked on it AT frequent in
tcrvals for three years.
" DO you make your portraits from life CT from
photographer"
" I start them from photographs, as it would be
too tedious 10 do that from fe and finish them in
few sttngs from life IL being impossible to get n
natural, hfc-h,e expression from photograph.
Yes nearly all the portraits are ordered for making
up into iauclrV, brooches being the most common
and sccvc-buttous next. These are two portraits of
little boy and girl. whose ta her wants portrait
of one of them each of his sleeve buttons
"Whrrc do the best cameo stones come from now ~
They all come from Brazil they are taken to Ger
many where they dressed ready for cutting, and
then taken 20 Paris which is the only market for
Them asost of the there. What Is the pro-
cess of cutting IL is done by lathe, worked by q
rcadlc will those cdrtachahlctOoSaud diamond dust.
The ,Ou.s are of three kinds-fnr cutting tor grind
ing md Tor smoothing These detachable tools are
taprring iron bars. the small ends Of which are
muud dust better han the steel would. These
such ones as this holding mp Onc. which an I'M
have sharp edges Tor grinding they are Uunt-rigcd.
ylule tor smoothing the wheel become, cone.
The diamond dust. which, mixed with oil and
rubbed ON the tools does the cutting. prepared
thus: Here Is caSt--tecl mortar and pcStle of
the same material that ITS this d. .ep mortar closely
INTO the deep mortar put alcS diamond fragments
aud drop o oil Insert the steel pr-le. and pound
with this hammer There is the dust
ready foT use. ! make H. myself "a, n must be oi
different degrees of huoncss Tor different stages Of
IhC cutting.