Presented here, a beautiful vintage Lava cameo made during Victorian era, most probably at the first half of the 19th Century. The beautiful young woman displayed in relief is probably a noble lady from the ancient Roman Empire who shows a pleasant relaxed countenance that sketches a subtle smile.  This lady is wearing a pleated tunic and also her hair is done in a sophisticated style, typical from the years of Octavius Augustus Emperor and even later. She is wearing a tiara made of what seems to be vine leaves. As shown at the pictures, especially at the last one showing the back side of the cameo, there is a crack shaped as an "Y" which has been carefully restaured and no missing material is found in the front part, please refer to the pictures.
 
MEASURES: 31 X 35mm
ESTIMATED AGE: circa 1840-60.
GENERAL CONDITION: good conditions, considering it has a restaured fracture. Please refer to the pictures.
 
These cameos were popular souvenirs of a trip to the south of Italy in the 19th century, mainly known as "GRAND TOUR" (noblesse and whealthy European families used to encourage their children to visit Italy because of its great Art and History). 
This kind of cameo, mainly mounted as brooches, were popular during the 19th century, especially in the mid to late Victorian period due to the discovery of the buried cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae circa 1748. It is not created from molten lava but rather from the cooled and solidified volcanic rock, known as lava stone.