George Washington
Not on view
Their substance being relatively soft, cameos made from seashells rarely survive from early periods. Such cameos are less labor-intensive than hardstone ones and do not permit the revelation of as many colors and strata, so were accordingly less prestigious. Nevertheless, in the hands of able carvers, shell cameos could attain high quality. The most prized shells were those of the helmet genus, which may have been more available to Americans than the choicest hardstones.
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