Description

This is a very skillfully carved tourmaline cameo head of, possibly, Medusa. Are those snakes? It is fairly recent, made by the old-established firm of M.Hagopian in Beirut, Lebanon, and it is nice to know that cameo carving skills in hardstone still survive. It is backed in 18ct gold, with a diamond collar. The tourmaline is translucent where it is not carved, and the gold background shines through the tourmaline. When sold new, the cost was around £3000 so this represents good second-hand value. The head including diamond collar is approximately 1 1/4 inches: 30 cms high; and the length including the pin 3 inches: 75mm