Assorted **Cabochons from my collection**

If you have been reading my blogs or following me in a variety of places, then you have heard me use the term cabochon. The photo above shows you a sampling of the personal collection I use for jewelry making.

First, what IS a cabochon and how was it named?

Cabochons (cabs for short) are stones that are cut, polished and shaped with a domed top and flat back. This shape allows them to be formed easily into bezels and become part of a jewelry design.

Now the fun part. Caboche is a 16th century French word meaning head. Imagine a person with a bald head and you get the picture. So cabochons are named after bald heads!

How does a lapidary choose the best part of the stone slab to create the cabs?

I purchase my cabs from talented people who make a living cutting stones. These people tend to have an eye for choosing the best part of the stone slab. Yes it is possible to use the whole slab and cut multiple cabs.. but unless you have perfect slab.. you will end up with some duller of more fragile cabs. These are not the quality that most serious jewelers will use. Most slabs have areas in them that are visibly more beautiful than others. Moreover, most slabs will contain tiny cracks in certain areas. If the cab is created from one of these areas, the cab will eventually crack or at least have an ugly crack running though it!

My Experience with cabochons.

Recently I took an all day class to learn the basics of lapidary. It was fun, challenging and hard. While I may try my hand at repairing a few broken cabs, I have no desire to shift gears and create my own. I will leave the cab creating to the talented lapidary that I now rely on to provide me the finest gems.

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