This cameo is carved from a shell. These are usually from Italy. The bezel set shell cameo has been framed with twisted rope design. A lovely cameo and fairly impressive it is a little over 1 1/2 inches long and 1 1/4 wide. I would judge the age of the cameo from the 50's Notice the detail of the gold-filled frame. It is marked with a logo that I can't read and also says 12K GF. A beautiful cameo!!