Cabochon stones are shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. “Cabochon” comes from the French word Caboche, meaning knob or small dome. Before faceted stones made their appearance in jewelry during the late 13th century, all gemstones were produced as cabochons. In modern times, many gemstones are cut as cabochon to display optical phenomena such as “asterism” in star sapphires and rubies, “chatoyancy” or “cat’s eye effect” in Chrysoberyl or Tiger’s Eye, “Adularescence” found in Moonstone or “iridescence” found in Opal.
It is truly worth your while to see these incredible luminous stones in beautiful settings on your hand!