AGS Inscription

[Silverback]

Hello,
I just came back from seeing my jewler and he showed me an AGS Hearts and Arrows diamond with inscription.

My question:
Does the AGS actually determine a diamond to be "H&A" or do they simply provide the grading?

I was under the impression that ''Hearts and Arrows'' was more of a marketing slogan as opposed to part of a formal certification.

Also, does the AGS follow a standard format for the inscription, for example, AGS, then the #, then the H&A?

This diamond was inscripted with a number and "H&A".

Thank you in advance for all of your help.

regards,
Brad

 

[belle]

hey brad

welcome to ps!

ags does not determine or grade h&a, nor does any other lab. here is a link about symmetry and
here is a link about hearts and arrows

ags does not have a standard format for inscriptions. as a matter of fact, some stones may not even have an inscription. the supplier is likely the one who determines what, if any, the inscription will be.

 

[Silverback]

Thank you Belle,
You''ve confirmed what I thought, but I''m still confused...

My jeweller doesn''t know much about H&A diamonds. I learned of them from reading the forums and asked him to bring a few in for me to look at. So, I know he didn''t have them inscribed, but possibly whomever he deals with in NYC did.

He had a copy of the accompanying AGS report and it was graded triple zero, but, from what I read, I don''t think that guarantees the diamond to be H&A.

Also, I put it''s measurements into the HCA and the grade came back 2.1, which is higher than I expected for a truely ideal cut diamond.

here are the specifics
depth - 61.8
table - 56
Crown - 34.8
pavillion - 41

Thanks again for any insight.
Regards,
Brad

 

[belle]

Date: 11/11/2005 4:09:42 PM
Author: Silverback
Thank you Belle,
You''ve confirmed what I thought, but I''m still confused...

My jeweller doesn''t know much about H&A diamonds. I learned of them from reading the forums and asked him to bring a few in for me to look at. So, I know he didn''t have them inscribed, but possibly whomever he deals with in NYC did.

He had a copy of the accompanying AGS report and it was graded triple zero, but, from what I read, I don''t think that guarantees the diamond to be H&A.

Also, I put it''s measurements into the HCA and the grade came back 2.1, which is higher than I expected for a truely ideal cut diamond.

here are the specifics
depth - 61.8
table - 56
Crown - 34.8
pavillion - 41

Thanks again for any insight.
Regards,
Brad

ags0 does not guarantee h&a. the only way to know at all what is going on with the hearts/arrows of the stone is to view it through an h&a viewer.
as you may or may not be aware, ags changed their grading system this year. they now use a performance based grading system. in order to acheive an ideal grading, the stone must also acheive a ''0'' in light performance. not all stones that were previously graded ags0 will make it in as such under the new standards.

what in your mind is ''truly ideal''? there is no standard definition, so make sure you look for a stone that conforms to what you think ideal should be. i would not automatically throw out a stone that scored a 2.1. if you''ve had a chance to compare this stone to many others and you like it, you should consider it. again, you need to make a list of things in your mind that you want (need) and find what fits.

 

[oldminer]

Belle:

If a diamond is H&A, then it is NOT a princess cut. Princess cuts are the only diamonds AGS is grading right now with a new system that covers light performance. The AGS 0 round diamonds still are totally parameter driven with no light performance measure. Next year we''ll see the changeover.

 

[Silverback]

Thanks,
I''ll do as you suggest and view it with the proper viewer.

When I said ''ideal'', I was referring to the triple zero AGS rating. However, I didn''t know they changed their standards. This report was dated July 12th, 2005. Do you know when they changed their standards to include the light performance? Was it as of the first of the year or sometime during the year.

 

[Silverback]

Thanks David... I think we were typing at the same time!

Brad

 

[belle]

Date: 11/11/2005 4:58:11 PM
Author: oldminer
Belle:

If a diamond is H&A, then it is NOT a princess cut. Princess cuts are the only diamonds AGS is grading right now with a new system that covers light performance. The AGS 0 round diamonds still are totally parameter driven with no light performance measure. Next year we''ll see the changeover.

 

[DiamondExpert]

I dunno Dave, I have a number of rounds with new AGS0 light performance grades in my inventory...updated in July I think.

 

[belle]

Date: 11/11/2005 5:03:55 PM
Author: Silverback
Thanks,
I''ll do as you suggest and view it with the proper viewer.

When I said ''ideal'', I was referring to the triple zero AGS rating. However, I didn''t know they changed their standards. This report was dated July 12th, 2005. Do you know when they changed their standards to include the light performance? Was it as of the first of the year or sometime during the year.

they changed right about that time. you can tell whether the report is new or old by looking at it.

here is the old document:

 

[belle]

and here is what the new one looks like..
this one is missing the dark blue border around the outside, but the format and background is accurate.

 

[Silverback]

Thank you.

I think it''s the older format, but I''ll check to be sure.

 

[plg_cp]

The easiest way to tell if it''s the new cert is to look for the grading for "Light Performance". Only the new AGS certs have it.

Mark