cutting

Many of the fine gems that appear on the Cushion Gem website have been re-cut locally here in New York as well as in different parts of the globe.  

Optimized gems are seldom found in their native cut shapes as producing countries in general are more concerned about retaining carat weight than maximizing a gems inherent potential for greater beauty.

Gems are brought to life at the cutting wheel. To bring a gem to it's potential, we often sacrifice carat weight in order to achieve a more beautiful face up appearance. 

Cutting decisions for colored gemstones are far from simple. Each gem type has certain cutting styles that lend itself best to certain types of material and the cutter must be guided by the limitations presented by each unique gems internal workings.  

Computerized robotic devices are now ubiquitous in cutting centers around the world.  Those who practice the ancient natural art of the hand-driven lapidary are few and far between. The last of a dying breed some say. 

Beyond those gems fashioned by master cutters both here in New York and Asia, Cushion Gem is honored to be the exclusive distributor of gems 'signed and cut' by the workshop of Reginald C. Miller by lapidary Jerrold Green. 

Together in 1999, Green and Cushion Gem founder Richard Orbach brought the CherryPicked website to market introducing an unprecedented higher level of quality, transparency and understanding to the heretofore secretive world of presenting and assessing precious gems of color.

It was there - in Green's old-world-lapidary workshop from 2011-2016 - that Orbach developed the tools, techniques and passion to follow the cutting path of some of the more notable gems of recent history. 

With select gems on the Cushion Gem website cut by Green, we are proud to make gems signed and cut by the Reginald C. Miller workshop available to discerning buyers worldwide.