Bimonte

Hi all,

This was in draft form before I went away and just couldn't find one more minute to finish it before Spring break.

Here we are at Bimonte which is a cameo shop with my friend Christian. He was one of the first local I met and he immediately took me under his wing. He tried to find a Rotary club meeting for me and was just as frustrated as I was!

David with Christian and his Dad in front of their shop. This is a family business that has been passed down for many generations.  Nine relatives are working today with him but not all here.

We took the class on a field trip..

Here Christian is explaining all the shells and the parts that he uses to make the cameos.  The color on the inside is what you see on the cameo. Christian explained there are different color grades for the outside shell too. Really white towards brown.

Here he explains about putting the shell on the stick with a special wax to make it easier to carve.

In the next few slides, Christian is showing us the cameos from the different kinds of shells.

The shop also works in coral. Here are two necklaces.  Necklaces such as these sell in the tens of thousands of euros.  It is difficult and rare to obtain red coral in beads the size of these!

Here are some beautiful examples of his cameos.

Thank you, Christian, for your welcoming tour and your continued hospitality.  ...a great cup of espresso!

Ciao :-)