Lapidary Art: Cabbing

The cabochon cut is a technique for cutting gemstones into an oval shape. Next, the stone is sanded and polished. Cabbing is the term rock hounds use for discussing this process. Sometimes, the artisan displays his mineral collection; agate is a good choice because it takes a bright shine when polished. Some of the stones are used for making handcrafted jewelry.

The prepared gemstones are called cabochons or cabs. Stones with these qualities are most frequently cut en cabochon: opalescent, asteriated, chatoyant, and iridescent. A cab's back is normally flat, but an artisan might hollow the back to make the stone lighter.

You can see beautiful cabs done by artisan Roger Crow at:   CabNFever 

Digital Gem Scale, Personal Lab Equipment, Weigh Carats