Cameo #8
The Crescent
Original Work by Grzegorz Kiernicki
Original Hand-Carved Work by Grzegorz Kiernicki
Image Gallery
Subject
A long-bodied feline shown mid-stride, carved so that the whole animal reads across the width of the shell.
The pale upper layer of the shell forms the body of the animal, while the warm peach and amber layer beneath becomes the ground it moves across.
The crescent surround follows the natural curve of the shell rather than imposing a regular geometric frame.
The Story
“The Crescent” is a hand-carved shell cameo by Grzegorz Kiernicki set into a crescent-form surround made in his own workshop.
The composition is unusually horizontal. A long-bodied feline is carved mid-stride, the head lowered and the limbs extended, so that the movement of the animal runs the full width of the shell.
No colour has been added. Grzegorz carved down through the naturally contrasting layers of the shell: the pale upper layer became the animal, and the warm peach and amber layer beneath became the ground behind it.
Seen from the side, the carving is revealed as sculpture rather than engraving. The shoulders, haunches and head stand well clear of the shell field, and the shell itself retains its natural curve.
The surround is textured entirely by hand, a dense hammered surface that sets off the smooth polished shell without competing with it. The bail is formed as part of the same piece of metal.
The reverse shows the warm golden-orange natural shell within the handmade surround, together with the artist’s carved GK monogram.
The piece weighs 30 grams and measures 1.5 inches wide, 2 3/4 inches tall, and 0.5 inches thick.
Handcrafted by the Artist
This cameo was carved individually by Grzegorz Kiernicki and mounted by hand in his own workshop. Nothing about it is repeated: the material dictated the composition, and the setting was formed around the finished carving.
- —The feline is carved entirely by hand by Grzegorz Kiernicki.
- —The relief is deeply sculptural rather than shallow or engraved.
- —The composition is horizontal, following the natural crescent of the shell.
- —The head, shoulders, haunches and limbs are individually modelled.
- —The naturally contrasting layers of the sea shell are used rather than added colour.
- —The background retains its warm peach and amber shell tone.
- —The crescent surround is formed and textured by hand.
- —The pendant bail is worked as part of the surround.
- —The natural shell remains visible from the reverse.
- —The reverse carries the artist’s carved GK monogram.
- —The construction is one-of-a-kind and made entirely by the artist.
Specifications
- Catalogue Number
- Cameo #8
- Artist
- Grzegorz Kiernicki
- Title
- The Crescent
- Object Type
- Hand-Carved High-Relief Cameo Pendant / Wearable Art
- Weight
- 30 grams
- Height
- 2 3/4 inches
- Width
- 1.5 inches
- Thickness
- 0.5 inches
- Primary Material
- Natural shell
- Setting
- Handmade crescent surround with an integral pendant bail
- Form
- Crescent-form high-relief cameo pendant
- Availability
- Available
- Collection
- Grzegorz Collection
Natural sea shell and silver. The carving material is natural sea shell; the crescent surround is hand-formed in silver.
Material & Silverwork Details
- —Carving material: natural sea shell, retaining its pale upper layer and warm peach to amber lower layer.
- —Metal: silver, hand-formed into a crescent surround with a dense hammered texture and an integral bail.
- —Construction: hand-carved layered sea shell held in a handmade silver crescent surround.
- —Relief: the body of the feline rises well above the shell field, giving the work the character of a miniature sculpture.
- —Reverse: the warm golden-orange natural shell remains visible within the handmade surround, with the carved GK monogram.
- —Finish: carving and metalwork are left exactly as made, with no smoothing, reconstruction or redesign.
Additional Detail Photographs
About Grzegorz Kiernicki
Grzegorz Kiernicki has spent a lifetime carving stone, shell, amber and antler by hand — first in Poland, later in Canada. He works without production moulds or repeated patterns, letting the grain, colour and flaws of each material decide the final form.
Every object in the Grzegorz Collection is a single, signed work made entirely by his own hands, and each one exists only once.