OPAQUE GEMSTONES

The faceting of an opaque gemstone presents a much more elegant look than a cabochon. The shape of the design is reminiscent of a cabochon, but it is faceted. It provides distinctive flashes from the facet faces.

- MARK OROS

This style of gemstone is not used in jewelry on a regular basis but is striking when it is set in a beautiful piece of jewelry. This design allows for a greater variety of lapidary material to be used since light return and scintillation are not a concern.

Some of my favorite opaque materials for faceting include tiger's eye, chalcedony, turquoise, fossil material and opal. Welo opal from Ethiopia is the gemstone used in this faceting example. This design allows the faceted faces to flash the play of color in a more complex pattern than a simple cabochon. As beautiful as this design is in this material, there are a few things to consider when faceting Welo

WELO OPAL CONSIDERATIONS