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Story
March 3, 1926
The Dispatch News
Lexington, Lexington County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
Description of the demanding skills and challenges faced by expert cameo cutters, including nerve strain, precision, artistry, and knowledge of chemistry, working on hard stones and shells.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Cameo Cutting Hard Work
Much skill is exercised by the expert cameo cutter. He can only work at his task for a few hours at a time, because of nerve strain. A quavering hand may be responsible for the single stroke which will spoil a week's work.
He must have an eye like a microscope, and a very delicate touch; he must be an artist in soul, and as skillful a craftsman as is a watchmaker; he must know how to model and draw, and he must have a knowledge of chemistry, so as to remove offending spots. The work is executed in relief on many kinds of hard or precious stones, but especially the chalcedonic variety of quartz and on shells.
Much skill is exercised by the expert cameo cutter. He can only work at his task for a few hours at a time, because of nerve strain. A quavering hand may be responsible for the single stroke which will spoil a week's work.
He must have an eye like a microscope, and a very delicate touch; he must be an artist in soul, and as skillful a craftsman as is a watchmaker; he must know how to model and draw, and he must have a knowledge of chemistry, so as to remove offending spots. The work is executed in relief on many kinds of hard or precious stones, but especially the chalcedonic variety of quartz and on shells.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Cameo Cutting
Nerve Strain
Skilled Craftsmanship
Precious Stones
Artistic Precision
Story Details
Story Details
Expert cameo cutters require immense skill, precision, and endurance due to nerve strain, with work on hard stones and shells involving artistry, modeling, drawing, and chemistry to create relief designs.