Definition of "cabochon" [ca•bo•chon]

• A highly polished, convex-cut, unfaceted gem. (noun)
• A convex style of cutting gems. (noun)
• In a highly polished, convex-cut, unfaceted style: a sapphire that was cut cabochon. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If the material is to be left in some one of the flat-backed, rounded top forms known as cabochon cut, the surfaces need only to be smoothed (by means of very fine abrasives such as fine emery applied by means of laps, or even by fine emery or carborundum cloth), and they are then ready for polishing."
• "Now, the company cherished for its bold use of colored stones, cabochon cuts and serpentine coils is making its brashest move yet: a merger with French luxury giant LVMH."
• ""When you think of a cabochon sapphire, you don't think of a helmet, yet that's what the shape is inspired by.""