New ways of grading cut by the American Gem Society.

The AGS (American Gem Society) is one of the bodies in the industry that sets the standards for grading diamonds. The other body is the GIA (Gemological Institute of America).

Industry leader in diamond cut grading is expanding grading to princess cuts, and using technology to be more precise in other shapes.

AGS announces new cut grade
NOVEMBER 08, 2004 - Las Vegas --

The American Gem Society (AGS) has announced it will begin issuing its cut grades for princess by the end of the first quarter 2005, and will release its new round brilliant cut grade system in the second half of 2005.

AGS' new cut grade system will measure all 58 facets of a (round) diamond in three dimensions, rather than two, according to an AGS release. AGS laboratories will begin considering brightness, dispersion, leakage, contrast and spread in its new system to assign final cut grades, in addition to proportion, symmetry and polish, the qualities that previously determined the laboratory's final cut grades.

"Over the next six to 12 months we will be providing support materials and software for the parameters of the new cut grade system for our manufacturing clients, which will assist them in cutting," AGS laboratories' executive director, Peter Yantzer, said in the release.