What’s a Cabochon? – Gemstone Cuts Defined

What does Cabochon imply?
A cabochon gemstone includes a polished domed floor in distinction to a faceted reduce. Fairly than sparkle, the rounded reduce captivates by enhancing color, reflection or translucence over a domed floor.
The time period Cabochon options repeatedly in jewelry design. We pronounce the phrase: Kab-Uh-Shon.
The place does the phrase come from?
The phrase originates from the French phrase Caboche that means head. This explains the rounded form exhibited by all such gems.
This reduce of a diamond has been discovered throughout jewelry courting again to the Ming Dynasty and throughout different historical cultures, together with examples from the traditional civilisation of Egypt. Sharpening such stones as Sapphire, Emeralds and Rubies, offered deep swimming pools of vibrant color to the jewelry of Royalty, resembling these seen on the Crown of Ottonian Empress Kunigunde, from Germany that includes raised Cabochons set on arcaded panels.

The dictionary definition describes a valuable stone of convex hemispherical or oval kind polished however not reduce into aspects.
Do gems have flat or curved bases?
Merely put, this type of gemstone can characteristic both a flat base or a curved base. Because of this, some gems swimsuit flat settings, held in place by adhesive or a bezel setting. Flat plate-like settings usually swimsuit flat-based gems owing to the higher floor space for adhering the gem.

Some jewelry designs require a flat base to connect the gem, whereas different kinds enable for a deeper rounded base. For instance, the next cabochon Amethyst includes a curved base. This provides depth to the gemstone and gives an elevated depth of color as a result of depth of the gemstone.

What’s a Cabochon gemstone?
Because of this, we’ve put collectively just a few phrases, holding issues easy. Hopefully, this may give somewhat perception into this lovely reduce of the gemstone.
Varieties of Cabochon Gem stones
Many forms of gems characteristic on this distinctive type of gemstone reduce. We hardly ever reduce diamonds on this manner because the true fantastic thing about a diamond turns into uncovered by cautious faceting of the floor to work with finely balanced proportions.
Cabochon cuts usually fluctuate in depth and proportions. For instance, flatter kinds exist with a shallow dome. In distinction, rounded, high-domed gems exist with a higher depth.
Many examples characteristic a flat base for ease of setting this gemstone reduce. This slicing type makes a preferred selection for clear, opaque and semi-opaque gems with an altogether distinctive variation to the flash of sunshine created by faceting the gemstone.

Cabochon Opal and diamond ring, re-modelled from an heirloom ring.
Different names for rounded gems
There are numerous descriptive names. For instance, Low Dome, Excessive Dome, Cone, Bullet and Double Bevel. Additionally, Hole, Carbuncle, Double, Flat Lower, Slab and Buff Prime. As well as, many jewellers shorten the identify to simply “Cab” when speaking to colleagues.
Ring kinds
Cab gems swimsuit many ring kinds. For instance, Gown Rings. Different kinds embody Signet rings for each women and men. A domed gemstone fits a bezel setting on the face of a signet ring. Moreover, the polished floor of the ring helps to replicate gentle again by way of a translucent gem.
What about cabochon diamonds?
Dome-polished diamonds don’t are inclined to exist for a really particular purpose. The attract of diamonds comes from their refractive and reflective qualities of diamonds. Such qualities are enhanced by way of shaping the diamond. Particular proportions and faceting kinds outcome within the sparkle that diamonds are well-known for. The form would destroy all such life from the diamond. Colored gems lend themselves properly to the domed type owing to their depth of color.
Do Cabochon Sapphires exist?
Cabochon sapphires provide sturdiness and a singular variation on the faceted gems seen in most jewelry. Domed Sapphires exist in lots of sizes and styles. Additionally, they exist in many colors, together with blue, pink, inexperienced, yellow, orange and peach.
The next instance includes a round domed form with a flatter underside, good for a bezel setting in a hoop.

Many gems utilized in jewelry characteristic a flatter base to enhance the way in which they sit within the design. On the similar time, the flatter base minimises the peak at which the gem stands from the jewelry. For example, rings grow to be extra uncovered to wreck in the event that they protrude an excessive amount of.

Cabochon engagement rings
This gemstone type seems in lots of engagement rings and contrasts with the standard ‘faceted’ diamond engagement ring. Curiously, many ring kinds characteristic a mix of each gemstone cuts. Over time, our bespoke design staff have labored with shoppers everywhere in the world, to create ring designs set with each type, measurement, form and number of gemstone.

One in all our current cabochon engagement rings featured a distinctive variation of diamond and opal, set right into a Trilogy-style ring design. Fairly than setting an opal because the centre stone, our consumer selected two opals on both facet of a lab-grown diamond with unimaginable outcomes.
How to decide on the proper gemstone on your ring
As a part of our service, we repeatedly supply picks of gems for shoppers. Some shoppers select to go to our showroom. In distinction, lots of our shoppers who dwell additional away profit from pictures of potential gems. For instance, we offered a collection of Cabochon Moss Agate oval gems for our consumer to decide on for a bespoke Moss Agate engagement ring.

The mixture of CAD design for the ring and detailed pictures for the gemstone ensures every consumer can visualise the ultimate ring earlier than we begin any work.

Mixing diamonds with Cabochon gems
As a part of the identical engagement ring fee, we complemented the ring design with additional sparkle from moral lab-grown diamonds. Each gemstone cuts replicate gentle in a singular manner. The moss agate gives curiosity with detailed, natural filaments. On the similar time, diamonds catch the attention with their mesmerising dazzle. As well as, we added graduating sizes of diamonds, claw-set inside a wishbone-shaped marriage ceremony ring.

About Mark Johnson
My identify is Mark and I am founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you may discover me working in our showroom—in a wide range of roles. My work (which I like) ranges from photographing jewelry, to writing weblog posts and serving to shoppers with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.