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It is a quite large piece, about 4 inches, carved by hand out of a Sardonyx Shell. Among the hundreds of pieces I was admiring in the Scognamiglio factory that warm day of August, this one really hit me for the modernity of the design and the perfection of its forms. The designer, Marisa Scognamiglio, named it "My Dream", and I immediately fell in love and made it... my own dream of Capri. "Every year during summer time, I spend time on my yacht, M/Y IVANA, in the most exciting places along the Mediterranean Sea, sailing from Saint Tropez and Montecarlo to Portofino and Capri!!! After a long winter of work and social engagements, my only commitment is the blue sky, the sound of the ocean and the seagulls." But, it is also during these trips that Ivana can go out and search for beautiful artifacts and rarities, hidden in remote places in the world, like in a secret "treasure chest". That's how Ivana found, right in the Gulf of Naples, a very old company manufacturing Cameos since 1857: M+M Scognamiglio. "It was during one of my first trips to Capri, when a good Italian friend of mine introduced me to the Scognamiglio family and their cameos, which I always heard of but I actually never had a chance to really appreciate. It was like love at first sight: I purchased one Cameo, the first of my collection, and then I just couldn't stop." "Before visiting the cameo factory in Torre del Greco, near Naples, I did not have any idea what exactly a "cameo" was, says Ivana, with a genuine smile." "I had always heard about Cameos and seen them in my mother's jewelry box, when I was a child in Europe. To me, it was a very European-style accessory, traditional yet elegant: a "must", in a chic woman wardrobe."
"But, I have to admit, I never realized the real value of them until I watched the carver, Master Giovanni, making the famous silhouette right in front of me, out of a piece of seashell, with his own hands. How fascinating! I kept staring at the artist carving slowly and carefully the shell, and I found myself enchanted when I saw the face of the lady appearing, like a touch of magic, out of the raw surface of the shell. I couldn't refrain, in my broken Italian, to say "Bravo"!!" "Since then, I regard the Cameos as true work of arts, because now I know each one is an individual and no two can ever be alike." Dr. Michele Scognamiglio, 5th generation owner of the Company, later explained to me the history of cameos and how they were used, thousand of years ago, as "photographs" of the time: Ancient Kings and beautiful Queens would have their noble features sculpted in a Cameo, as their official image forever. Napoleon, the Emperor of France, was in the XVIII century the greatest fan of Cameos, imposing them as "Royal Jewels" to all the members of his Court in Paris. Soon, the fashion spread out all over Europe, having its pick in London, where Queen Victoria made cameos the glamorous symbol of the so-called "Victorian era". Coming back to our modern time, during my trips in the five continents, I see these masterpieces coming back in vogue, in the windows of the most expensive shops of the world as well as on the catwalks of all the major fashion shows in Milan, New York and London. "So, don't you think it was a good idea for me to collect Cameos for so many years?"
To order please call 1-888-NYIVANA / 1-888-694-8262. All orders from New York will be charged the appropriate New York State Sales Tax. All orders will be sent via UPS or Federal Express and customers will be charged for shipping. The
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"This
is the first Cameo I purchased for myself, in Torre del Greco, during
a trip to the Island of Capri", says Ivana, showing her beautiful
"treasure".
