This is an antique hand-carved shell cameo brooch featuring a profile of a female figure, likely the goddess Artemis or Aurora/Eos. It is set in a gold frame with a double twisted rope border.Aurora is the Roman goddess of dawn and is identified with the Greek goddess Eos. The inverted crescent, called a "Lunula" from ancient Rome, where it was worn as an amulet for protection. Crescent moons in general were strongly associated with the feminine moon goddess. The inverted orientation emphasizes this connection to female power, intuition, and influence. Hand built bezel. Dimensions are 1.3 x 1.7".
