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INDEX
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Introduction to Cabochon Cutting and the Lapidary Hobby (Final Installment)
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Stone Setting
Prongs
Using a small hammer and metal hard wood rod as a "pusher," carefully pound the prongs down over the cab a little at a time working on opposite prongs until cab is held firmly.
Bezel
Using a small hammer and a polished metal "pusher," work around the cab alternating sides until bezel has a scalloped look. Continue alternating sides between the scallops until the bezel is flat. Use a burnishing tool to remove any marks that are
left.
Common Stones Used in Cabs
Type of Stones
Natural stones commonly used to make cabs include: agate, jasper, jade, turquoise, quartz, magnesite, opal, obsidian, and malachite. The first three are hard enough to be used in almost any finding including men's belt buckles (men tend to scratch buckles
no matter what is in them). The others are softer and their suitability for use may depend on who is going to wear it and where.
Manmade
There are other stones commonly in use for cabs that are manmade: goldstone, Gilson synthetic opal and synthetic turquoise, and Victoria Stone.
Goldstone is glass that has had finely ground metal particles added to make it glitter. It is normally found in gold or blue, and rarely in green.
Gilson is a French manufacturer that specializes in creating synthetic stones for the jewelry market. His stones include turquoise, opal, and emerald. They are well made and can be very expensive.
Victoria Stone is a man-grown material that has no real equivalent in nature. It comes in many colors and has a chatoyant pattern that many find very attractive.
Reconstructed
Reconstructed stones, usually turquoise or malachite, but there are several others, are made by grinding lower grade material into a power and mixing it with a type of epoxy. It is easy to work with and there is a minimum of waste material. but it can be
hard to polish; it is as soft as plastic. However, some are very attractive.
Stabilized
Most of the turquoise that is available today has been stabilized. The rough turquoise is impregnated with an epoxy-like plasticizer. Depending on the process, this can produce a very hard attractive stone. However, if manufactured poorly you are better
off passing it up.
Triplets
Triplets are usually made by starting with a black backing to which a paper-thin piece of precious opal is glued. Then a clear quartz cap is glued on top. These can be very beautiful and relatively inexpensive.
There are other man-made materials and new ones showing up regularly. Just when you think you have seen them all, someone will show you something new. It keeps the hobby interesting. Most materials are available at local lapidary shops (rock shops) or
shows, all are available via mail order. Look at the advertisements in "Lapidary Journal," "Rock and Gem," "The Eclectic Lapidary," and on the internet.
Other Shapes
Square
Square cabs are most commonly found in men's rings.
Round
Round cabs require time and patience. The eye can see small imperfections that would be overlooked in an oval.
Oval
The oval is the most common shape. It has the advantage that the eye will forgive small shape imperfections.
Hearts
Hearts are frequently used for pendants. They are usually cut double-sided and patience is required for the notch.
Where to Buy Materials
Local Dealers
Look in your local phone book under Lapidary to see if you have a local dealer.
Club Shows
Club shows are one of the most interesting places to buy materials. There are usually several dealers selected to cover different areas of the hobby, and displays of local and regional lapidary work. The displays are a wealth of ideas and you will meet
many wonderful people. For a list of local shows get a copy of the "Lapidary Journal" or "Rock and Gem."
One show merits special mention. Quartzite in January is really four shows in a town of about 1200 residents, but with an attendance of more than 250,000. The area around Quartzsite is BLM "long term" camping and "Snowbirds" from all over the world come
to spend time in the area.
Quartzsite Arizona
The Main Event: About the last 3 weeks of Jan
Cloud's Jamboree: Jan 15 to Feb 15
Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama: About the last week of Jan
Quartzsite POW-WOW: About the first week of Feb
Other Lapidary Arts
There are several more fields of interest in the lapidary hobby, some have been touched on already. Most people have interests that cover more than one of these.
Silver and Gold Smithing
After you have cut your first few cabs you are faced with the question of what to do with them. You can mount them in factory-made findings or you can display them in a display case, but most people want something more. Silver and gold smithing can be
roughly divided into two general categories: fabrication and casting.
Fabrication is the art of working with metal directly, hammering, sawing, soldering, etc. Casting is the art of working with a secondary medium, usually wax, and then converting the secondary medium to metal.
Specimen Collecting
People collect all sorts of lapidary items: minerals, crystals, slabs, geodes, picture scenes, flats, fossils, fluorescents, and many others. They are frequently displayed at home or in display cases at local club shows and libraries. Some collections are
good enough to be loaned to museums.
Tumblers
Many times the starting place for the beginner is a tumbler, polishing up stones they have collected. Sometimes this interest is expanded into making tumbled stone necklaces or other artful endeavors.
Faceting
Diamonds are the stones most people think of first when faceted stones are mentioned but faceting diamond is almost never done by the hobbyist. The equipment is too specialized, the experience required too great, and the cost too high. But almost any
other stone can be (and has been) faceted by the hobbyist, although normally only transparent or translucent stones are used. The equipment is not cheap but it is affordable, and although there is a lot of experience required for a good stone, most anyone
with enough patience can do it.
Intarsia (Inlay)
Intarsia is the art of cutting different colored stones into shapes that will then be pieced together into scenes. It is time consuming work but the results can be incredible. Stained glass could be considered a variant of intarsia although it is usually
not done by the same people.
Carving
People are all familiar with the large carvings like Mount Rushmore, the ancient Greek statues, and the small Chinese figurines. But there are so many different materials, each with its own hardness, carving technique and tools that there is something
for anyone who wants to try the art.
Beading
Beading has recently enjoyed a renewed interest and a whole culture has grown up around the art. There are stores, clubs, and shows devoted to beading. If this is one of your interests there are many advertisements in the Lapidary Journal as well as
magazines devoted to the hobby. Most of the local clubs have members who are interested in beading.
This concludes the series, "An Introduction to Cabochon Cutting." Your comments or questions are welcomed.
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Copyright, 1997 by Dick Friesen
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Dick Friesen writes, "I have been cutting cabs both as a hobby and as a commercial cutter for about 25 years. I teach lapidary for our local Gem and Mineral club and for
our local recreation department. I also do lost wax casting to keep my
sanity when all else fails. I am retired from Lawerence Livermore National
Laboratory where I ran one of their larger Physics ADP systems and did network
design."
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