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.

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.

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.

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.