AGS Quality Report - Ideal???

[Bluehammer]

I saw on the AGS Lab website a disclaimer that says the Diamond Quality Report gives Excellent ratings for polish and symmetry that would be equal to Ideal ratings on the Diamond Quality Document.

Would it be correct to assume that an EX/EX Diamond Quality Report could be an AGS0 if only it had been a Diamond Quality Document? Of course this is a "could be" type question.

I assume Whiteflash, for example, sends their ACA for the Document instead of the Report (Expert Selection) in order to give it more distinguised credentials. Plus if the ES had the same report as the ACA, it would be more difficult to justify the brand name expense. From a business perspective this is perfectly reasonable. From a diamond consumer standpoint you could get ASG0, but only have a Diamond Quality Report. Sound reasonable or am I completely off my rocker?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Hey Blue, you're completely on your rocker.

You summed it up pretty well - at least the way we see it.

One clarification: It's true that the highest grade awarded for polish/symmetry on a DQR is ‘Excellent,' but the only way to know if polish/symmetry would qualify for 'Ideal' is to have the diamond submitted for a DQD...it could still come out Ex.

Of course at that level it's a matter of ultimate craftsmanship/pedigree: There is not any visible difference between GIA VG-EX and AGS VG-EX-Ideal in polish/symmetry.

Remember that a DQR reports major proportions information, but does not report a grade for cut, nor does it include a light performance component. It is a less expensive document to acquire than the DQD - so it's the document of choice for our Expert Selection inventory (which is predicated on value for the money), whereas ACA are all accompanied by a DQD.

Here is a thread with examples & explanations for each of the AGS grading documents.

 

[RockDoc]

I am sort of in awe as to why AGS does not grade a diamond ideal if in fact it is on the DQR.

For a recent stone, that I had in that did have a DQR with polish and symmetry of Excellent, I actually called AGS to clarity this. For that particular stone the polish grade was excellent and not ideal. This resulted in a lower cut grade of AGS 1 due to polish only, and not that of proportions, or what your eye would see.

I have noticed on the PGS software, that if the stone is an AGS 0 due to proportions and the other characteristics, if there is a symmetry or polish fault it lowers the cut grading of the stone.

Working with the PGS software, has been very enlightening and educational with learning the deep details of how AGS considers the cut grade and seeing the details of how that is determined by reviewing all the details of the PGS report that it shows.

Rockdoc

 

[Bluehammer]

Date: 8/9/2006 12:43:56 AM
Author: RockDoc
I am sort of in awe as to why AGS does not grade a diamond ideal if in fact it is on the DQR.


For a recent stone, that I had in that did have a DQR with polish and symmetry of Excellent, I actually called AGS to clarity this. For that particular stone the polish grade was excellent and not ideal. This resulted in a lower cut grade of AGS 1 due to polish only, and not that of proportions, or what your eye would see.


I have noticed on the PGS software, that if the stone is an AGS 0 due to proportions and the other characteristics, if there is a symmetry or polish fault it lowers the cut grading of the stone.


Working with the PGS software, has been very enlightening and educational with learning the deep details of how AGS considers the cut grade and seeing the details of how that is determined by reviewing all the details of the PGS report that it shows.


Rockdoc

Do you think a DQR is used when a vendor is pretty sure the stone will not hit ideal on polish/sym or do you think it is always a cost cutting measure for more value based stones? It would seem the DQD would not be worth the cost if in the vendors estimate, the stone will not make the grade AGS0 (AGS000). My experience has been limited and I have mainly been looking at ideal cuts, but I do not recall seeing any DQD''s that were not AGS000. But I have seen EX/EX and lower DQRs.

 

[RockDoc]

Hi Blue...

I''m not sure although you take on this may correct. There is the possibility that AGS issues a cut grade and if it doesn''t qualify as a zero, the submitting company MAY have the option of getting a DQR.

I have seen some DQD''s that do have lower cut grades, so I am not sure if this is how it is done there.

That could be what separates WF''s ACA selections from their Expert Selections. I think WF wants all their ACA stones to qualify as 0 cut grades.

The most important reason is to ascertain WHY the stone gets a lower cut grade. If the cut grade is due strictly to polish that is very small, the difference will be hard for even an expert to see, and probably impossible for a consumer to see. Although with some in person training it COULD be possible.

However, if the lower cut grade was based on other characteristics that are reported in PGS software, such as contrast, or a proportional deduction, the difference would probably be noticeable to a consumer and possibly noticeable in the ASET image but only through the actual sight image in the ASET of a good photo of it. I dont think the computer renderings of the ASET image are always exact and accurate, based on some of the comparison I''ve been able to make.

Rockdoc