The only thing I know about this is that they are used in jewelry. Is this a gemstone??
2007-07-12 16:14:29 · 3 answers · asked by Vernie 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
No it's not a gemstone. Cabochon refers to gems that have been shaped and polished rather than cut with facets like you see for diamonds, emeralds etc. Usually opals and other irridescent gemstones and ones that exhibit chatoyancy (like tiger eyes) will be prepared en cabochon. Turquoise, malachite and other opaque stones that exhibit nice patterns are also usually cabochoned. Usually they're oval shaped and kind of domed up but they can really be any shape, just honed and polished instead of cut.
Here's a nice picture of a brooch with cabochon stones:
http://www.lillianjaffe.com/images/0181_CabachonRS_brn2.jpg
(btw, it's usually spelled with 2 o's rather than 2 a's).
2007-07-12 16:34:57 · answer #1 · answered by GatorGal 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cabochon is a French word meaning headstone. The art of carving headstones for graves evolved into miniature headstones of semiprecious rocks, and ultimately into the familiar flat oval jewelry. Not all cabochons are that shape, though; some are fancy crosses and such.
2007-07-12 18:18:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a shape typically of semi precious stones. Basically is oval, of a variety of sizes, rounded on top and flat on the bottom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabochon
2007-07-12 16:21:43 · answer #3 · answered by BP 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋