Las Vegas—The American Gem Society introduced this week that it’ll shut AGS Laboratories on the finish of the 12 months and merge its operations with the Gemological Institute of America.

The AGS Labs analysis workers, mental property, know-how, and Las Vegas facility shall be built-in into GIA, which can make the most of the ability as a middle for analysis.

Monetary phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.

AGS Labs will proceed to supply companies till the top of 2022; it mentioned it’s going to contact purchasers with particulars of the transition.

As well as, a “shopper guidelines” in addition to a listing of incessantly requested questions in regards to the lab’s closure is accessible on the AGS web site.

AGS and GIA mentioned they are going to mix their gemological analysis efforts to develop new services to guard customers and help the commerce, like mild efficiency analysis and a science-based fancy reduce grade commonplace—an avenue of analysis that could be a “very lively pursuit” on the lab, it confirmed not too long ago.

The collaboration will enable AGS to concentrate on its retailer packages and extra member training alternatives, increase its signature occasion, AGS Conclave, occasion and exploring new prospects for members, CEO Katherine Bodoh advised Nationwide Jeweler in an interview Thursday. 

“As a corporation, we’re consistently difficult ourselves about how we are able to exceed expectations for our members, how we are able to make the most of the know-how and instruments obtainable to us to do what we have to do,” she mentioned.

“That journey led us again to our authentic imaginative and prescient as a commerce group whereas additionally asking how we are able to make the most important influence and regulate that imaginative and prescient.” 

Robert M. and Beatrice Shipley based each GIA and AGS within the Thirties. AGS launched AGS Labs in 1996.

With their shared missions for the commerce and customers, the 2 organizations have collaborated previously.

“The beauty of being based with the identical imaginative and prescient is that we’re each asking, how can we make the most important and finest influence for the business, and it makes it straightforward to say what does that seem like, how can we do one thing larger than each of us?” Bodoh mentioned.

AGS headquarters will stay the place it’s in Las Vegas, close to the ability the place GIA and the mixed analysis groups shall be positioned.

With the collaboration, GIA will create an endowment to help AGS and its membership by training and credentials.

GIA additionally will make the brand new AGS Best Report, which grades mild efficiency, obtainable as a digital-only complement to its personal diamond experiences for spherical sensible and fancy form diamonds. 

It will mix the AGS Best Report with the 4 Cs grading from GIA. 

AGS’s common reduce grading system—which grades reduce on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being “Best” and 10 being “Poor”—will stay with it. 

GIA mentioned purchasers will be capable of request the supplemental experiences beginning in January for a further $25. 

Extra particulars in regards to the “AGS Best Report Dropped at You By GIA” shall be obtainable quickly, it mentioned. 

“By harnessing one another’s strengths to maneuver ahead boldly, customers shall be higher protected, and we are going to make sure the longevity of the Shipleys’ imaginative and prescient,” GIA President and CEO Susan Jacques mentioned in a press release from the lab. 

“I want to thank the AGS Worldwide Board of Administrators and the GIA Board of Governors for supporting this new section within the shut relationship between our two organizations.”