An Introduction to Lapidary Arts, Cabochon Shaping & Carving

 

An Introduction to Lapidary Arts, Cabochon Shaping & Carving

 

Amethyst

 

The art of working with stones is called lapidary. However, it generally refers to small objects that were created using gem materials. So bigger ornaments or life-sized statues that were created with stones would not come under the wing of lapidary arts.

Lapidary art is divided into four basic types:

·         Tumbling

·         Cabbing

·         Faceting

·         Carving

However, lapidaries can be further divided into many other kinds. Some gem cutters treat it as a hobby, and are content with making basic ornaments as birthday and holiday presents for their friends and families, while others like to indulge in creating more intricate cuts and designs. Some people like to work only with the stones that they’ve found themselves. And of course, there are some serious gem cutters who may use it as a means of earning profit as well.

Yet, the one thing that is common among all of these is that the goal is always to find the most beautiful gemstones and transform them into even prettier ornaments by making the best use of the material that is provided by nature. However, learning any of these different kinds of lapidary arts can be a long process of trial and error, and people can still have a off day, even after a lot of practice. Anyone who has been trying to hone their lapidary skills over a few years’ time has most likely assembled a large collection of leftover rough and end cuts.

This is a collection of the material that is not exciting enough that its your first choise to work with, but is just nice enough for you to not throw it away. A good way to make use of these leftover materials that have been lying around for too long is to practice cabochon techniques, especially the more advanced techniques.

 

Stones Carved with Cabochon Technique

 

Reignite Your Imagination With Combinations and Cabochons

You may have been trying to polish your gemstone-cutting skills for ages, and now, you may have started feeling that the art is becoming redundant as there is nothing new to do. This feeling is a false, and you may just need some inspiration and to use of your imagination.

Here’s the truth: the secret to advanced gemstone cutting is your imagination. So to spark your imagination, you will have to step out of your comfort zone and try something new and different. If you’ve already cut hundreds, or even thousands, of circles and ovals, then it is time to try more fancy shapes and style. Try to create things that serve purposes beyond just looking beautiful; like drawer handles, paper-weights, cord pull, recipe card holder, ear jackets etc. (See our blog on creative ideas.)

To be more aware of what you’re doing, don’t just look at the shape of a rough piece when deciding what to work with. Instead, try to imagine how it will be used and what shape it can take. When you know whether the stone in your hand will be used for a broach or a belt buckle, it will help you make a better decision.

You also have to keep in mind how the piece is going to be used. Will it be used for a bolo or a ring? For instance, it would be a poor choice to use sharp ridges on a ring stone, as it may be vulnerable to impact. So you can either find a different use for that particular rough piece or avoid using it altogether.

Going through this process of observing and deciding what works best before you actually get to the carving part can help you get new ideas that you wouldn’t have had if you didn’t think ahead of time. For example, you may come up with a design idea for a pendant or a pair of earrings that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

While working with rough pieces, you may still encounter stones that seem useless. However, it may be possible to make these stones useful by combining them with each other or other useful stones. Long tourmaline crystals, for instance, are generally too thin to carve. But you can actually make excellent baguettes that you can use to accent other gems.

In fact, one of the best imagination exercises that you can do is to combine gems and explore all the possibilities you can come up with. As you try and compare colors, textures, shapes and sizes, you will notice combinations that you would have otherwise missed. This doesn’t only apply on gem cutting, but also to jewelry designing.

So if you have a lot of small gems lying around the house and some inspiration but no idea what to do with them, try turning them into cabochons. By using this technique, you can turn this collection of junk into something valuable that you will cherish and may even be able to sell if you want to. It is a quick and simple process that can help you turn ignored pieces of rough stones into beautiful pieces of artwork. And the best part is that it can be done within five to ten minutes. You can also use a bunch of cabbed domes as a cluster if they are matched in size and color.

 

 

Abstract Pieces of Crystals 

 

Create Unique and Interesting Shapes With Cabochon

Giving your cabs some unique and interesting shapes is one of the easiest ways of making them special. It may be a little daunting to attempt free form cuts, especially if you’ve never done it before, but it is actually very easy to do. In most cases, all you have to do is follow the outline of the material you are working with and carve it for maximum yield.

By following this simple process, you will always end up with a new and unique shape that you can use for various purposes, like making jewelry out of them or other decorative pieces.

It is true that these may not be the best pieces of gemstones you create by carving, however it will still be a much better piece of work than it would have been had it been lying around some forgotten drawer.

This technique of following the outline to cut into a new shape is very useful for finding new ideas; especially if you feel like lapidary is getting humdrum for you. Because once you move on from the basics and spark your imagination, the possibilities that you can create become endless. You can cut flowers, animals, trees, bullets, teeth, outlines of countries or states, or even constellations if you’re feeling ambitious. You can use whatever method suits your purpose, from straight lines to concave and convex curves, or even jagged and irregular edges.

However, you still have to remember the fundamentals no matter what you’re cutting. Tapering the stone inward enough so it can set the stone is still necessary. You can’t leave any flat areas on an oval, as they won’t polish. And remember to always cut a little, as it goes a long way.

 

Crystal Quarts

 

As you start working on cabochon carving, you will have to learn two basic methods of cutting.

·         Ridges

·         Convex Curves

Once you master these two techniques, you can move on to more advanced methods.

 

·       Tools for Cabochon Shaping or Carving

A lot of people shy away from carving because they feel like there are a lot of complicated and heavy tools that they’ll require to learn this simple form of art. This, again, is also is a misnomer. In fact, you only need a few simple tools and accessories to learn cabochon carving.

The easiest tool you can pick is a flex shaft, as any will do. A standard Dremel type tool can also be used. However, comparatively, they are slightly more difficult to maneuver as compared to flex shafts. A fixed arbor, which is a motor mounted horizontally with a chunk on the end, is also used by a lot of carvers. A similar purpose can be served using a drill press as well. Most of these tools can be adjusted or repurposed to use horizontally as well.

An important thing that you will need are a few carving bits or tips. These carving bits can be made of wood, metal, ceramic or even plastic. Basically, anything will work as long as it can hold a charge.

Diamond impregnated tips are the most commonly used bits nowadays. Depending on how passionate you are about this, you can get an assortment of different shapes, and if possible, different grits. If you intend to polish the carved areas, 1,200 or finer will be very helpful to own. Traditionally speaking, the most commonly used carving materials was wood. And it makes sense, because it is still arguably the best.

What makes wood even better as compared to other materials is that it is very adaptable and you can create wood tools in any shape you need by yourself.

·       Tools for Pre-Polishing and Polishing

Good pre-polishing is the secret to a good-looking final polish. So don’t skip this step thinking it is unnecessary. If you own a set of bits that has assorted fine grits, then this process is fairly simple. All you have to do is to continue working with progressively finer grades until you have acquired an adequate polish or pre-polish.

In order to get more familiar with this process, you can create several accessories of the same shape and size. Then you can charge them with different grits to use for cutting, polishing and pre-polishing and observe how the results change due to the size of the grit.

One of the most useful pre-polishing tools is a cratex wheel. It consists of a silicon carbide in a rubber-type matrix. These are available to purchase in various shapes and grit sizes.

Another important tool is a hard felt brush. These also come in a number of shapes, and work very well with diamonds. The only drawback is that they cut rather slow, which can be difficult to manage if you don’t have enough patience for the carving or are short on time. However, if you do use it, don’t be afraid to use a coarser grit in felt. If your fine tool marks aren’t being removed by 600, try working with 325. Since felt has so much give, it will cut slower and with finer scratches as compared to what you expect while looking at its size.

Cratex and felt wheels can be shaped to fit almost any particular need. All you need to do is hold it to a file while keeping it running.

Oxide polishes are arguably the best way to go, as they work on several stones. Usually, oxide polishes are mixed with water to make a paste. However, mixing them with vinegar improves their efficiency. The problem is that it smells awful, and it takes times to get used to it. Traditionally, diamond bort is mixed with vegetable oil to create the polish. These can be used on wood, felt or brushes.

Wax-based polishes are also available, that are specially designed for carving. They work much cooler than lapidary compounds, and are easier to clean up if you need to check the progress.

 

One of the reasons people skip on this amazing hobby is because they feel it is too time consuming and the end results may not be worth it. However, once you get into it, you will realize that a few simple strokes can help bring up the value of simple pieces of stone, and that the whole learning process is definitely worth it.

You may not become an expert who can carve anything they want, but cabochon carving can help you turn pieces of junk into pieces you can gift your friends and family. So give it a shot, and you will be the most popular gift-giver in your family in no time.

“Remember Rockhounds don’t Die They petrify”                                                     

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