*~FINISHED~* Cabochon Challenge, Sept 2020 Theme: Pet Wood

Welcome to the September 2020 RTH Cabochon Challenge! Everyone is welcome to enter the contest, newcomers and veteran cabochon makers alike. The purpose of the contest continues to be just to have fun and challenge yourselves to step outside your comfort zones and learn and grow with us, while dazzling us with your beautiful rock creations. Each month's contest will be contained within a single challenge thread and will have a theme that serves as the primary criteria for voting for a winner. Voting period will consistently occur the first seven days of the following month and the winner will be given the opportunity to choose the theme for the contest that will occur two months after the contest they won (ie: September winner chooses November theme).

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September 2020 RTH Cabochon Challenge

Contest Theme: Petrified Wood, chosen by July winner pauls - please create a cabochon of petrified wood material. Anyone who needs material to work with can PM me for a small grab bag of rough trimmed preforms while supplies last.

Voting Criteria:
When voting, please judge each entry based on the following.
1) How well was the challenge of the contest theme met?
2) How well did the stone meet the contest requirements of a flat back, domed top cabochon?
3) General appearance - keeping in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many materials are difficult to work with and an exceptional creation might not be flashy and bright.

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Please vote for one of the following excellent works of lapidary art!

Links to all of the original front and side submission photos can be found below the photo collage.

All of the original contest submission posts and responses have been removed from view during the voting period in order to remove as much of the popularity contest aspect from the voting as possible. All original content will be replaced in this thread at the close of voting. We sincerely appreciate all the feedback comments we get and want to continue to improve the contest as we go so keep 'em coming!




Photo Links:
Cabochon 1 - front
Cabochon 1 - side

Cabochon 2 - front
Cabochon 2 - side

Cabochon 3 - front
Cabochon 3 - side

Cabochon 4 - front
Cabochon 4 - side

Cabochon 5 - front
Cabochon 5 - side

Cabochon 6 - front
Cabochon 6 - side

Cabochon 7 - front
Cabochon 7 - side

Cabochon 8 - front
Cabochon 8 - side

Cabochon 9 - front
Cabochon 9 - side

Cabochon 10 - front
Cabochon 10 - side

Cabochon 11 - front
Cabochon 11 - side

Cabochon 12 - front
Cabochon 12 - side

Cabochon 13 - front
Cabochon 13 - side

Cabochon 14 - front
Cabochon 14 - side

Cabochon 15 - front
Cabochon 15 - side

Cabochon 16 - front
Cabochon 16 - side

Cabochon 17 - front
Cabochon 17 - side

Cabochon 18 - front
Cabochon 18 - side

Cabochon 19 - front
Cabochon 19 - side

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Getting material: Anyone and everyone is welcome to contact me privately for a small grab bag of plume agate preforms (while supplies last). The only thing I ask of those who get a bag from me is to please do your best to enter a cab in the contest.

Contest period: September 3rd thru September 30th 11:59pm PDT

Voting period: October 1st thru October 7th (seven days)

Prize: Winner may choose a teeshirt or mug of their choice from the RTH Store.

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Entry Requirements:
Participants may enter one hand-shaped, made-for-jewelry cabochon, generally consisting of a domed top and flat backside. Cabochon must be made entirely by the member, within the contest month. Please let us know a little about the piece including how you shaped and polished it, and what challenges it presented for you. Please identify the material if you know what it is. If you don't know then just state that and or ask for help identifying it. Cabochon may have a hole drilled but nothing attached to it.

Photo Requirements:
Please post between three to five photos including one front shot of the finished cabochon, a side shot showing the shape shape and dome, and a photo of the preform slab. The front photo will be cropped to around 200 pixel for the voting photo collage so it's in your favor to make this one as bright, focused and zoomed in as possible. It will also be helpful to the viewer if you can include an object in one of your photos that give us a sense of the size/scale of the cabochon. If you don't have any of the three required photos please post what you have and let us know that's all we're getting.

Please no finished jewelry photos including the stone after it has been set, wrapped, or had any kind of bail attached, until after the voting has concluded. Please do not post any "glamour" shots that have been clearly manipulated in a photo editor, faded backgrounds, enhanced colors, etc.

Voting Criteria:
When voting, please judge each entry based on the following.
1) How well was the challenge of the contest theme met?
2) How well did the stone meet the contest requirements of a flat back, domed top cabochon?
3) General appearance - keeping in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many materials are difficult to work with. An exceptional cabochon creation might not be flashy and bright.

In the interest of helping create fair and impartial voting, all original entry posts and commentary will be removed from view until after the voting period expires, at which point it will be returned to the contest thread. If a tie vote occurs a new voting poll will be launched for the period of one day and will include only the stones that were tied for the lead.

Community participation:
As always on the forum, polite and respectful dialog and encouragement is very welcome in the form of 'likes' and comments. Advice or direction from the community is welcome only if the contestant has requested it. Members are welcome to enter work-in-progress photos but if the final photos are not added before the conclusion of the contest, the piece can't be included in the voting.