Fused dichroic glass cabochons (“cabs”) are used by jewelry artists in a variety of ways to make unique designs. For example, cabs can be hung from a pendant bail or wire-wrapped to incorporate them into a necklace. They are often used as a focal piece in a bracelet, and small cabs can be attached to posts to make earrings. Here are some common cab flaws to avoid when you are buying dichroic cabochons for your jewelry designs.

Escaping Dichro

The dichroic coating in the cabochon should be completely sealed within clear glass. Avoid cabs that have any dichro “escaping” from the clear glass. Dichroic on the outside surface of the cabochon obscures the reflective properties inside and makes the cab rough or even sharp. Click on the photo for an extreme example of “escaping dichro.”

Blobbing Clear

The opposite of the “escaping dichro” cabochon is the cab with clear glass blobbing off the sides. When the cabochon in the photo was fired in the kiln, the clear glass melted off of the dichro and pooled at the bottom of the cab. This makes the cab look unbalanced and flat. The clear top layer of the cabochon should extend to the edge, but no farther.

Incomplete Fuse

 Make sure the cabochon is fully fused. There should be no cracks or seams visible. The bottom of the cab in this photo is not fully fused, leaving a horizontal fissure in the base glass. The incomplete fusing problem is most common in the sides of cabs. It occurs when the clear, dichroic and base layers of glass were not given enough time in the kiln to melt completely together. An incomplete fuse leaves the cab looking unfinished, and gives it a rough feel.

Avoiding these three common cab problems will help ensure that you only get superior quality fused glass cabochons for your jewelry creations. I hope that this guide was helpful! To browse a selection of my dichroic fused glass cabs, visit my Etsy shop.

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