A few years ago, during a quick visit to a cameo factory near Naples, Italy, I was able to see how carvers make cameos. It was a wonderful experience; those artists are very talented.
A cameo is a beautiful, (mostly) oval-shaped piece of jewelry. It usually features a portrait of a woman in profile carved in relief on a background of a different color. Dating back to the 3rd century BC, cameos were originally used for signet rings and large earrings. The classic designs were scenes of Greek or Roman mythology or portraits of important people. Today, most cameos are carved into sea shells or layered agates. The master copy is always handmade and can take days to complete.
First, the artist selects the shell and cuts it into two parts, the less valuable of which will be used for souvenirs. They will focus on the "cup" because it is thicker and more richly colored. Afterwards, a cutter further divides that "good" part. The carver then smoothes and rounds the back of those pieces and attaches a wooden stick to make handling easier and better. A bullino or small dental drills is then used in the carving stage.
During the last step, the artist draws the subject on the shell and uses traditional tools to create the image.
Your turn now! Write a haiku, six-word story or short poem based on the image above. If you prefer publishing the piece on your blog, please link to this prompt there. For example: Poem inspired by Cendrine Marrouat's daily visual prompt.