November 2020 - Lab Grown Magazine

November 2020 | e Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 16 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | November 2020 17 of the Good Morning America newscast cit- ing an LGD sold as a natural stone (or vice- versa). With LGDs, it’s like the Wild West right now and it needs oversight.” Leading gem labs agree. Of those, three diamond laboratories have skin in the LGD game. They realize that retailers are “in the finals,” and can’t afford to drop the ball. For a winning shot in every play, here are three labs you want on your all-star team. The Cutting Report AGS Laboratories is revisiting the grading of LGDs, which initially drew my attention. AGS’ history sheds light on why their exper- tise on diamonds and light is so important. “Laboratory-grown diamonds share essen- tially the same properties of natural diamonds chemically, physically, and optically. Given the close similarities, it typically requires a trained specialist utilizing the right scientific equipment to tell the difference,” explained Jason Quick, Executive Director of AGS Laboratories. This is why AGS Laboratories resumed grad- ing LGDs in August, a pro- cess temporar- ily suspended in 2012. “As the market expands, consumers need a diamond grad- ing report that clearly explains the characteris- tics of lab-grown diamonds. Our lab was founded on con- sumer protection, and our laboratory-grown diamond grading report is one more way that we are demonstrating our commitment to that mission. Our enhanced (LGD) report is the result of over a year of research and de- velopment to create a product that helps jew- elry buyers better understand the qualities of their laboratory-grown diamonds,” Quick added. The lab is currently in an LGD pilot phase and expects to expand those services in short order. To appreciate this level of industry in- trospection and its step into the future, let’s briefly step back to 1996, the year that AGS Laboratories was launched. In doing so, something that we now consider common- place was anything but. Promoted as the only facility in America dedicated to elevated diamond cut grading and related documentation for all diamonds, AGS Laboratories has proven to be a lead- er. The lab invented a way to detect if a dia- mond is properly cut. In 2006, they took it a step further. Using a light performance gem grading patented process, an AGS Laboratories dia- mond report is a detailed process, one that assesses a diamond’s shape and light hand- ling capabilities. A scientific triad of symme- try, proportion, and polish are explored if the cut is correct. One could easily define “cor- rect” as “average,” which doesn’t cut it for this non-profit pioneer. Similar to a schoolteacher grading a stu- dent’s report with a “C,” denoting the content may be correct but not outstanding, AGS Labs moved diamond cut grading reports to an “A+” level. AGS Laboratories elevated the diamond industry to a current worldwide standard in diamond cut grading. Adopted from the first published diamond design methodology from 1919, it took about 50 years for the U.S. to move diamond light behavior theories to theorem. In the 1950s, the American Ideal Cut was known as the best of breed. Welcome AGS L a b o r a t o r i e s and their custom modifications— a means that would redefine the now exacting standards of a diamond’s proper table size, crown height, pavilion depth, and girdle thickness, renaming the practice as The AGS Ideal. ® Within round brilliants cuts, this bench- mark remains the highest cut grade a dia- mond may embody. For AGS Laboratories, their difference in their LGD reports is digital, similar to what GIA has recently de- ployed for their LGD grading. Balanced by ethics and education, social responsibility also weighs in, precisely why community is core to the AGS brand. Last April, AGS hosted Engage. Connect. Learn: A Virtual Conclave Experience , an example of ex- tending a no-cost hand to industry profes- sionals and indirectly to the public. Educat- ing professionals on the psychographic side of their customer base helps B2B diamond buyers relate to B2C diamond buyers. >>