Introduction to Cabochon Creation

This class meets for a total of 6 hours (9am - 12pm, 1pm-4pm), with an hour break for lunch between 12pm and 1pm.

Lapidary art is the skilled craft of cutting, shaping and polishing stones, minerals and gemstones. Many techniques and tools are used to cab, facet, tumble, flint knap or carve rough stone into jewelry, art or display components. The wide range of available materials of different colors, hardness and rarity gives an unlimited diversity to artisans using these skills. Making your own cabochon greatly expands your ability to put the best material into your creations. This introduction to cabochon creation will expose you to some of the materials, tools and skills needed to create beautiful cabochons.

Available Accommodations: If you are in need of any physical accommodations, please reach out to education@artisansasylum.com and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

• Cabbing Machine Basics
• Trim Saw Basics
• Drawing Cab outline on slab with template
• Initial trim steps to cut out the rough cabochon
• Rough shaping
• Dopping
• Smooth shaping
• Polishing
• Steps involved in making your own cabochon
• Use of cabbing machine
• Use of rock trim saw

Taken a jewelry class and want to take it to the next level? Learn to shape your own cabochons to use in your jewelry.

• Access to: slabs, oval preforms, dopping tools and materials, templates
• Access to A2's Jewelry Shop and tools for the duration of the session.

Cabbing Machine

Allie Keast

Inspired by her love of collecting and rockhounding; jewelry making facilitates Allie's desire to give her findings a new life. She founded Allie Keast Jewelry in January 2020 and has made a home for her practice in her Framingham Studio.

A jeweler and lapidary, Allie specializes in stone cutting and carving. Much of her work features stones she has personally mined and cut.

Allie shares her passion for geology through her expressive jewelry and classes, teaching metalsmithing and lapidary

Raul Walker

A rock collector for the last 30 years, Raul recently joined the Artisan’s Asylum community. With an intense passion for finding beauty in semi-precious minerals from around the world he has spent years cutting and polishing stones.

A lapidary artist that searches for patterns and colors hidden in stones he wants to share those skills with the creative artists that come to Artisan’s Asylum.