Cabochons, Colour & Sheen
What is a Cabochon?
A cabochon is a gemstone cut with a smooth, rounded top and a flat base. Unlike faceted stones, which are cut to reflect light through multiple surfaces, cabochons are polished to a high gloss, showcasing the gemstone's natural beauty and colour. This style of cutting (called en cabochon), highlights the stone’s inherent qualities and often enhances its depth and luster.
The History and Tradition of Cabochons
The cabochon cut dates back thousands of years and represents one of the earliest methods of gemstone lapidary. Jewellery from Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilisations, dating back to around 3000–1000 BCE, showcases the use of cabochon-cut gemstones. As one of the first techniques used to shape and display gemstones, the cabochon cut predates the development of faceting by several thousand years.
Why Choose En Cabochon?
Emphasis on Natural Beauty
Cabochons are ideal for showcasing gemstones with unique internal patterns or inclusions. Stones like opal, moonstone, and spinel often exhibit patterns, colours and sheens (we’ll get to that below), that are best highlighted with a cabochon cut.
Versatility in Design
The cabochon cut lends itself to various styles of jewellery, from classic and elegant to modern and eclectic. Cabochons can be set in rings, necklaces, earrings and brooches, providing flexibility to create stunning, bespoke pieces. Their rounded shape also makes them a popular choice for vintage-inspired designs and contemporary statement pieces alike.
Enhancing Colour with Cabochons
Cabochons can often enhance the depth and richness of a gemstone’s colour and in certain gems, highlight sheen. Unlike faceted stones, which are intended to display and accentuate colour and light through dispersion and refraction, cabochons allow light to penetrate deeply and evenly through the stone. This results in a vibrant and saturated appearance, often making colours appear more intense.
Many gemstones exhibit various types of sheen due to their internal atomic structure. The sheen in moonstone, spinel, and star sapphire is especially well-suited to a cabochon cut, as it highlights the distinct movement of light throughout the gemstone's crystal lattice. For instance, the unique asterism in star sapphires is enhanced and showcased with a cabochon cut. Similarly, semi-precious gemstones displaying chatoyancy—a type of sheen where light reflects off parallel inclusions—benefit from the cabochon cut, which amplifies this luminous effect and emphasises the gemstone’s captivating glow.
Notable Cabochon Gemstones
Several gemstones are renowned for their beauty en cabochon:
Opal: Well renowned for their mesmerising play-of-colour, opals are cut en cabochon to preserve and accentuate this sheen to best exhibit the array of shifting hues and colours that transform with varying angles of light.
Moonstone: The adularescence of moonstone cabochons creates a mystical glow that adds an ethereal quality to jewellery designs. Moonstone is a beautiful semiprecious gem well loved for its captivating sheen and first widely popularised in the Art Nouveau era.
Star Sapphire: With its unique asterism, star sapphire cabochons display a captivating star-like effect which is highly valued, with the most famous star sapphire being The Star of India, a 563.35-carat star sapphire that displays a prominent six-ray star effect.
Spinel: Known for vibrant and varied colours, spinels respond well to being cut en cabochon and showcase their rich hues and natural brilliance beautifully.
While cabochon gemstones are durable, it's important to note that they can be more susceptible to scratching and wear compared to harder, faceted gemstones, especially when dealing with semi-precious stones. Although they are suitable for everyday wear, it's advisable to periodically have them repolished and buffed to maintain their lustre.
Cabochons offer a timeless appeal in jewellery design, seamlessly fitting into a wide range of styles from classic to contemporary. We love working with cabochons and look forward to designing many more unique, colourful cabochon designs that showcase their enduring charm.