Cabochon

A cabochon is a way of working a precious or semi-precious stone in which it is not faceted but ground and polished to a smooth, convex (most often dome-shaped) form without facets. It is the oldest way of working stones, preceding faceting. Cabochon is used mostly for opaque or translucent stones (turquoise, opal, moonstone, star sapphire, onyx, coral), since the smooth convex surface best emphasises their colour, pattern and special optical effects (like the 'cat's eye' or asterism) that faceting would hide. A cabochon gives an ornament a soft, organic and slightly vintage character. A cabochon is an ancient way of working a stone in a smooth convex form without facets, in which a polished dome best reveals the colour, pattern and optical effects of opaque and translucent stones, giving an ornament a soft, organic and noble character.