What Are Cabochons?

 

Think style, individuality, and femininity and you have cabochons. Within the jewellery, world cabochons are stones or feature pieces that have been shaped or cut with a polished rounded dome face and a flat unpolished base. Once a symbol of prestige and class, the Cabochon has endured throughout the centuries and remains a rich and captivating jewellery piece.

Cabochons come in a variety of shapes and sizes. While the most populous shape is an oval, other popular shapes include; circular, square, rectangular, and teardrop.

One of the most common sizes for an oval cabochon is 30x40mm, other popular sizes include; 25x18mm or round 30 or 35mm.

What are Cabochons made of?

Popular cabochon gemstones include; opal, turquoise, moonstone, cat’s eye and sapphire and ruby. Fast forward a few centuries and you can now find cabochons in a variety of mediums including resin, glass and clay.

Cabochons were also set within a setting known as a bezel, this can be made from just about any medium, including; glass, wood, metal, paper, clay and plastic. Today Cabochons continue to enjoy popularity amongst women of all ages, who appreciate something a little different or who are perhaps seeking a piece of a versatile piece of jewellery that can take them from work - to a formal setting to a casual weekend with friends.

What is a Bezel?

The easiest explanation is to say that a bezel is a frame – it frames the cabochon. Bezels can be constructed out of any material but must be strong enough to be able to set a cabochon within and to protect and support it. Bezels often add the ‘bling’ factor to a piece. There are boundless variations and sizes available nowadays and they are an extremely popular jewellery making component amongst designers.

A cute bronze cabochon bezel brooch setting with a purple stone insert

This is a cabochon bezel that has been made into an earrings setting by attaching additional hardware to the back of the bezel

The classic oval 30x40mm shaped bezel is so popular in both ornate & more modern minimalistic settings. Cameos (R) are absolutely perfect within an ornate bezel setting. Whereas, stones really shine within the more modern minimal bezel settings (L).

Until next time, cheers from Violet Matters