AGS Laboratories Releases Round Brilliant Cut Grade

The AGS Laboratories announced they would begin issuing the Diamond Quality Document for the new American Gem Society (AGS) performance cut grade system on round brilliant cut diamonds starting June.

For a 90-day period, clients will be offered the current proportions-based DQD or the new performance-based DQD. Starting from September the Lab will only issue DQDs with the new performance-based system.

In the new performance-based system, all 58 facets of the diamond are measured in three dimensions rather than two dimensions.

The Lab will use state-of-the-art ray tracing software to trace light traveling through a diamond. The software demonstrates the quantity and quality of the light being returned to the viewer. AGS Laboratories will now consider brightness, dispersion, leakage, contrast, and weight ratio in addition to proportions, symmetry, and polish, when assigning a final cut grade.

The Lab recently announced that they would release their new fancy shape cut grading system at the beginning of May. Concurrent with that event, the Lab will launch a new look for all their document packaging. “We’re very excited and proud of the new look. It elevates the standard for diamond documentation in the industry,” says Peter Yantzer, Executive Director of AGS Laboratories.