Introduction: Onyx Stone Carving

By Vivalatina Workshop
About: I am French living in Mexico. I work as a jeweler full-time. I design jewelry with CAD software, 3D prints, and run a foundry in my workshop. I like to travel. learn languages, surf and run, and eat Mexican fo…

Discover here how to cut and shape an onyx stone cabochon.

Step 1: Materials

For cutting an onyx stone you will obviously need a rough onyx stone and these tools:

A diamond disc saw

A carbide drill

Sandpaper (different grades, from rough to thin)

A jeweler flex shaft motor or similar

A buffing wheel muslin (4 inches) mounted on a bench lather motor

A Polygold 2000 millstone for polishing stones

A metal shaft 3 inches long

Step 2: Cutting the Stone

With the diamond disc saw mounted on a flex shaft motor or similar, start cutting the rough stone above a recipient full of water.

Make sure the stone is always wet to help to cut through and prevent the rock to break for overheating.

Step 3: Shape the Stone

Set the stone on a metal shaft with the help of jeweler wax.

Start shaping the stone following the form you want.

In our case, this is rounded cross shape.

Step 4: Round Shape of the Cabochon

As we want the stone as a cabochon, we have the make the edges.

We glue a sandpaper on a wooden plate and we move manually the stone around until giving it the shape we are looking for.

Step 5: Polishing the Stone

Once we could give the curves to the stone, we can polish it.

First, we use a buffing wheel muslin mounted on a bench lather motor and then a Polygold 2000 millstone mounted on the flex shaft motor.