cabochon

/ˌkæbəˈʃɒn/

Etymology

Borrowed from French cabochon, diminutive form of caboche (“head”), from Old French caboce, from Latin caput (“head”).

cabochon means A precious stone which has only been polished, not cut into facets. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why this word is great

CABOCHON — [Noun] A gemstone polished into a smooth, convex shape without facets. From the French cabochon, a diminutive of caboche ("head"), from Old French caboce, ultimately from the Latin caput ("head"). Unlike a faceted gem, engineered for a geometry of fire, or a bezel, a functional cage of metal, the cabochon is an act of sculptural reverence, presenting the stone’s essence as a single, unbroken curve. It is the cool, waxy dome of a moonstone holding a captive glow, the deep, blood-dark swell of a garnet, or the silent, star-swept orb of a star sapphire—a form that offers not a spark but a gaze, the quiet dignity of form pared down to its wordless self.

noun

A precious stone which has only been polished, not cut into facets.“Thecla was […] stroking a bracelet formed like a kraken, a kraken whose tentacles wrapped the white flesh of her arm; its eyes were cabochon emeralds.”