Cabochon Jewelry Design

February 11, 2017

Perfect for Metalworkers, Wire Wrapping Pros, and Bead Embroidery Fans...a gemstone cabochon & faceted loose stone collection has come to Island Cove Beads & Gallery.


Rutilated and Tourmalinated Quartz Cabochons


Faceted clear and smoky quartz stones

Cabochon Stones - did you know?

The most common shape for cutting cabochons is an ellipse. This is because the eye is less sensitive to small asymmetries in an ellipse, as opposed to a uniformly round shape, such as a circle
Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems, while faceting is usually applied to transparent stones
Hardness is also taken into account when cutting gems. Softer gemstones with a hardness lower than 7 on the Mohs hardness scale are often polished as cabochons, making scratches less evident.
In the case of asteriated stones such as star sapphires, and chatoyant stones such as cat's eye chrysoberyl, a domed cabochon cut is used to show the star or eye, which would not be visible in a faceted cut.

Make your own Cabochon Jewelry Designs: Sign up for a DIY Jewelry Class that includes working with cabochon stones. Two Island Cove classes you can choose from include:

Wire-wrapped Cabochon
Bead embroidered Cabochon

Shop the Trunk Show of Vintage Cabochons:

Gem enthusiasts Debbye Mika and Holly Pope recently discovered a treasure trove of vintage cabochon stones.

"Holly and I found them at the 49th Street Flea Market. When we saw what was in the first bag, we knew that we had stumbledon on a "find"! The first bag had rutilated and tourmalated quartz. We came home, put a sheet over the table and the fun began! Cut quartz...different types of jaspers...opals...boulder opals...coral...carnellian...it went on and on! The collection came from an estate sale and everything was labeled in German and encased in plastic containers; the original packaging will remain with each stone. As far as my favorites...abalone and moss agate." -- Debbye Mika

"The price was right (always a big deal in my house), but it was the amber and rutilated quartz that sealed the deal for me. The amber is old and dark which is hard to find in today's market; most of it is reconstituted or manmade and not too pretty. I'm planning to bead some pieces and possibly do lost wax casting for others." -- Holly Pope

Also in News

Island Cove Beads: Crafting Hygge Connections

October 18, 2023

Colleen Ewart, owner of Island Cove Beads & Gallery explains how her beachside shop embraces the essence of hygge by fostering meaningful human connections.

The Herringbone Stitch.....Also known as Ndebele! By Michelle Geller & Colleen Ewart

May 29, 2022

This month, Island Cove is featuring the Herringbone stitch. A geometric, versatile pattern for using different sizes and shapes of beads to create beautiful beaded jewelry!

Named after the backbone of the Herring fish, the 2 bead pattern creates a shape like a “v” similar to a chevron but not the same, and is then...

The Art of The Ornament- by guest blogger Michelle Chapman Geller

November 27, 2021

Island Cove is putting up their tree and getting ready to sell their unique hand-crafted Christmas decorations. They have already started offering classes and patterns to make your very own Christmas Beaded Bauble. These balls are adorned with a netting stitch and fire-polished beads or crystals which twinkle under the shine of the Tree lights.

Cabochon Jewelry Design

Also in News

Island Cove Beads: Crafting Hygge Connections

The Herringbone Stitch.....Also known as Ndebele! By Michelle Geller & Colleen Ewart

The Art of The Ornament- by guest blogger Michelle Chapman Geller

Subscribe

Recent Articles

Categories