Cabochon Tutorial
Cabochons are gemstones that are cut and ground to have a convex shape and a flat bottom, and are rounded instead of being faceted like a diamond. Generally, opaque stones are used, such as agate, opal and cat's-eye. Jewelry makers use cabochons in settings to create necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. Their uses are only limited by the imagination.
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Things You'll Need
- Shape template(s)
- Colored or aluminum pencil
- Ruler
- Dop stick
- Saw
- Carborundum impregnated or diamond saw blade
- Vibrating lap
- Grinding wheel or sanding belt
- 80 through 600 grit wheels or sandpaper
- Felt or leather buff
- Honing compound
Instructions
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How to Create a Cabochon
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1
Cut the material for your cabochon (or "cab") to the desired thickness, if necessary, with a water- or oil-cooled trim saw equipped with a carborundum impregnated or diamond saw blade. The blades will be made of bronze, copper or steel.
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Place the slab you will use onto a vibrating lap to remove the saw marks. Dip the slab in water often throughout the process to clean off the sludge and monitor its progress.
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Select the area where you want to cut a cabochon out of your material. If the material is figured, pay attention to the pattern on both the top and the bottom to get an idea of what you'll end up with once the piece is shaped. Lay a template over the area you selected and mark it with an aluminum or colored pencil. You can also draw a design free-hand. Draw lines at each end and the sides of your drawing with a ruler and the pencil. The lines will aid you as you cut out the cab.
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Cut out the pattern you drew with the saw. Get the general shape you want; the rest is done with grinding and sanding.
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Refine the shape of the cab on a sanding or grinding lap, or a diamond or other wheel type of your choice. Grinding and sanding a cab wet is preferable in most cases. Work in stages, starting with a coarse grit, such as 80 diamond wheel, or a 260 diamond wheel for a hard stone, and a higher grit for a soft stone. If unsure, start with a less harsh grit or surface to see how your cab material reacts. Remove all of the marks from the previous grit or stone before moving onto the next. Be careful to achieve and maintain the shape and curvature you desire. Round the whole cabochon; you don't want a flat area on the top. Use calipers to check the thickness as you go.
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Attach the cabochon to a "dop stick", which can be a wooden dowel, nail or pencil, when it becomes difficult to hold the cab. Heat doping wax to the melting point and dip the end of the stick in it repeatedly to layer it to get a good amount on the end for the cabochon to stick to. Heat the stone and reheat the dop stick so they're about the same temperature and push the cabochon onto the wax, according to Emporia State University.
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Use aluminum oxide on the soft side of suede to put a final polish on most stones, but use cerium oxide for quartz and opals, and chromium oxide for the hardest stones, such as jade.
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References
- Photo Credit Two rings image by RUZANNA ARUTYUNYAN from Fotolia.com
