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Q & A With Quick and Abel

AGS Laboratories often receives some terrific questions from our clients, and we thought you would like to hear the answers. AGS Laboratories Executive Director, Jason Quick, RJ, and Director of Gemological Services, Wade Abel, CG, team up to share their responses!

What shapes are currently supported by AGS Laboratories’ Light Performance cut grade system?

Besides round brilliant, AGS Laboratories currently has fancy shape light performance cut grades available for princess, oval, cushion, and emerald shapes. Additionally, AGS Laboratories has worked with clients to support more uncommon and proprietary shapes.

For more information about our system including cutting guideline charts for common shapes, click here.

QandA-photo

When working with clients and manufacturers to provide feedback about a new diamond design or increasing performance, how can AGS Laboratories help?

From a scientific and engineering perspective, diamond design and achieving the AGS Ideal® is all about the geometry and proportions of the diamond, the mathematical relationship between the diamond’s geometrical form, and the laws of physics governing how the myriad of facets reflect and refract light through it.

Every aspect of the diamond design, including the design’s unique facet arrangement and proportions, play a critical role in the diamond’s unique patterning of brilliance, fire, and sparkle—its light performance. Due to the mathematical nature of the sculpture and the physics of light, it’s possible for designers and laboratories to utilize powerful tools that can model the sculpture, simulate its light performance, and thereby explore and optimize its design. This is exactly the technology at the heart of the AGS Light Performance cut grade system, where the technology serves as both a design tool and assessment system, the science and innovation at the core of the AGS Ideal®.

AGS Laboratories has over 20 years of experience specializing in cut grade reporting and consulting, helping our clients improve the technical performance of their diamonds. We have had the opportunity to assist clients with standard facet arrangements as well as specialized, new diamond facet designs, working with them to create AGS Ideal® cut diamonds. Part of our system requires that each design be compared to the best possible performing diamond of the same design. Like, comparing apples to apples.

ASET Matrix Crop
An ASET® matrix showing many variations of a princess cut diamond based on slight variations in the parameters.

AGS Laboratories Cut Optimization service offers informed guidance to optimize the diamond’s cut for manufacturing and strategies to maximize opportunities in the market. To do this, our specialists use tools that allow for minor virtual changes in the facet angles and azimuths. Data acquired from these tools is then used to communicate the pertinent information a manufacturer needs to accomplish their goals. Our Cut Optimization consulting services help produce and implement a roadmap for the production of round and fancy cuts that will help the designer and manufacturer achieve AGS Ideal® consistently.

Key areas of focus for cut optimization include:

  • Diamond design consulting for round and most fancy shapes
  • Optimizing proprietary and patented cuts to achieve AGS Ideal® or desired patterns
  • Providing cutting guidance to manufacturers to achieve AGS Ideal® standards for most shapes and facet arrangements
  • Providing support in cut research

It’s all about helping the designer and manufacturer create the highest performing diamond possible!

Do you have a question for Quick and Abel? Send them an email at [email protected].