LAS VEGAS, Nevada — January 4, 2007 — AGS Laboratories recently announced two new service enhancements for larger diamonds. The Lab will now expedite diamonds weighing 7.00 carats and above at no extra charge, and will provide grading results within one business day. Furthermore, diamonds weighing 3.00 — 6.99 carats will be expedited at no extra charge, and the Lab will provide grading results within three business days.

“We realized there was a demand for the large-stone programs,” says Peter Yantzer, Executive Director of AGS Laboratories. “We are constantly seeking ways to help our clients sell more diamonds. It’s a fundamental structure of our philosophy to help them benefit from our products and services.”

In 2005, AGS released their Performance-Based Cut Grading System for both the round brilliant and princess cuts — the first-ever cut grading system for a fancy shaped diamond. AGS recently added emerald cuts to their Cut Grade mix, and AGS Laboratories will start issuing their Diamond QualityTM Document for emerald cuts in February 2007.

The science supporting the Performance-Based Cut Grade System reflects AGS’s transition from a proportion-based to a performance-based cut grade system, where all facets of a diamond are measured in three dimensions rather than two dimensions. The Lab uses 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 considers brightness, dispersion, leakage, contrast, and weight ratio, in addition to proportion, symmetry, and polish, when assigning a final cut grade.