Greetings to all who are interested in beautiful and bright jewelry, as well as in a variety of ways to process them.
Cabochon as a way of processing precious stones and minerals perfectly emphasizes all the beauty hidden in the stone. The natural form of jewelry at first glance may seem boring and unattractive, but only as long as they do not touch the skillful hands of a master who knows how to reveal hidden secrets.
Applying a cabochon
The dignity of the future jewelry directly depends on the correct grinding and cutting of the stone. One of the classic gemstone cutting techniques that is gaining popularity today is the cabochon.
What are cabochons?
Until recently, in the field of costume jewelry, sharp edges, sparkling sparks of precious crystals were unconditionally preferred. Jewelry with multi-colored smooth stones, similar to the attributes of antiquity, is stored in the jewelry box of every fashionista, waiting in the wings.
The term “Cabochons” appeared in the 17th century in France. It comes from the French word translated as “head”. This funny name is used for stone jewelry, thanks to a famous story.
Cardinal Jules Mazarin, one of the richest Frenchmen of that time, owned a collection of large diamonds. He valued his precious treasure and, in order to avoid the huge losses inevitable in the rank and file, ordered the lords to remake the stones, giving them a rounded shape.
The magical brilliance of smooth diamonds made a strong impression on the French aristocracy and caused a wave of new preferences among aristocrats. So the fashion for jewelry with smooth stones came to Europe.
Cabochon as a type of processing is especially effective for translucent and opaque minerals, as the special beautiful brilliance and color of the stones create a unique pattern.
Basic cabochon shapes
Grinding in this way opens up wide scope for jewelry imagination. The ability to change forms allows you to reveal the greatest beauty of each sample. As the basis of the product, you can choose one of the following geometric shapes:
- oval;
- a circle;
- heart;
- polygon.
In any case, the choice of form affects several important points. First of all, it is the strength of the breed. For brittle specimens, oval shapes are preferred.
And, of course, it is important who will own it. A romantic lady can choose a stone in the form of a heart, an aged woman – a drop or a circle in a beautiful frame, a man – a strict square in a ring, a polygon or a cross.
As a result of centuries of experience, a list of gemstones has been compiled that best reveal their exceptional qualities when using the cabochon method.
The Star Ruby is a cabochon with a star effect.
Star sapphire is a blue gemstone with a star shining in its depths.
Selenite or moonstone is a translucent bluish stone that fascinates with a mysterious “lunar” glow.
The cat’s eye is a translucent stone with vertical light moving inward, resembling a cat’s pupil.
Turquoise is an opaque gem with a special green tint, sometimes covered with a thin mesh, visible from afar.
Opal is a matte gemstone with beautiful shades of grey.
Jade is a matte gemstone that has a whole palette of shades from light beige to dark green, with a delicate polished surface.
Agate is an opaque stone that will suit lovers of deep black.
Malachite is a dark green stone with an exquisite pattern.
In addition to natural stones, artificial materials, such as colored glass, are used to produce cabochons.
Cabochons are inserted into rings and pendants, bracelets and earrings, and are also used to decorate bags and purses. On sale today there is a large selection of special metal blanks for rings and pendants, as well as for earrings.
Do you like jewelry with stones processed in this way? And what cabochons do you have in your box?
