Cabochon

Cabochon

Description

Any gemstone shaped with a highly polished, rounded surface. Gems typically cut en cabochon include: lapis, turquoise, and opal, along with many varieties of microcrystalline quartz (such as carnelian, jasper, bloodstone), some feldspars (such as sunstone, moonstone), and some chatoyant or asteriated gems (such as garnet, sapphire, chrysoberyl, and cat's eye).

Synonyms and Related Terms

cabochon (Fr.); cabochão (Port.); Cabochon (Deut.)

Authority

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "cabochon cut" Encyclopædia Britannica. [Accessed October 3, 2003].

• External source or communication Comment: Submitted information from Lisbet Thoresen