April 13, 2006. Las Vegas. A little more than a decade ago, the leaders at the American Gem Society (AGS) saw a need in the industry for a diamond-grading laboratory dedicated to consumer protection and to setting the highest standard for diamond grading. From that vision, the American Gem Society Laboratories was born, and this month, the Lab is celebrating its ten-year anniversary.

To mark the occasion, AGS Laboratories is sponsoring the 2006 President's Gala dinner dance at the AGS Conclave in Orlando, Florida, on April 29th. The President's Gala is AGS' premiere social event of the year and marks the end of the four-day Conclave program.

"It's been ten amazing years," says Peter Yantzer, Executive Director of AGS Laboratories, who helped open the Lab in 1996. "We wanted to celebrate in a way that was not only big, but meaningful. AGS Laboratories shares the same commitment of consumer protection and dedication to the highest standards of ethics and business practices as the American Gem Society. We're proud of our use of the AGS diamond grading standards and the synergy between the two organizations. We could think of no better way to celebrate our ten-year anniversary."

Recognized as the premier industry event, leading jewelry designers, manufacturers, retailers, and gemological educators will gather in Orlando for the 67th Annual American Gem Society's Conclave at the Doubletree Hotel.

AGS launched their Performance-based Cut Grading System in 2005, and since then, AGS Laboratories has been implementing the Cut Grade in their Diamond QualityTM Documents. In the Performance-based Cut Grading System, all facets of a diamond are measured in three dimensions rather than two dimensions. The measurements are input into a computer program that traces light rays traveling through a diamond. The ray-tracing program shows the quantity and quality of the light being returned to the viewer. In addition to proportion, polish, and symmetry, AGS Laboratories also considers brightness, dispersion, leakage, contrast, and spread in assigning the final cut grade.

For more information regarding AGS Laboratories products and services, please call 702.233.6120 or visit the website at www.agslab.com. For more information on AGS, contact 702.255.6500 or visit www.ags.org.