How to Get THE BEST CAB FROM A SLAB

The best part of carving cabochons is finding the perfect part of the stone slab to use for your cabochon.

- STORY & PHOTOS BY MARK OROS

There are two ways to approach your slab.

1. See how many cabs the slab will produce.

2. Pick the most stunning and artistic part of the slab and use that part first and then repeat the process.

The second option will produce fewer cabochons, however, utilizing the best part of the slab from a compositional point of view will create the most stunning and valuable cabochons from the slab. This is my preferred option to create high-end cabochons.

COMMON TERMS

The term cabochon comes from the Middle French word “caboche,” which means head or noggin. A cabochon gemstone has a convex (domed) top and a flat bottom and is used in a variety of jewelry pieces as both the center gemstone or as an accent gemstone. The domed shape and polishing create a stunning gemstone that portrays the beauty of the stone material, reflects light from a curved and polished surface and is carved in a fashion that makes it simple to set in jewelry. A slab is just a slice of stone. Think of it as slicing a loaf of bread. The stone is cut with a saw and the internal beauty of the stone is exposed. The lapidary does need to take the internal design into account during the sawing process and orient the stone to maximize the stone's internal design in the resulting slabs.

DECISIONS TO GET STARTED

When carving cabochons for jewelry, the lapidary has to decide what part of the slab to use and what shape is desired for the cab. This is my favorite part of the cabbing lapidary process.