The American Gem Society (AGS) has signed a deal with Richard von Sternberg, president of EightStar Diamond Company, for exclusive use of EightStar’s technology to develop a cut grading system for fancy-shaped diamonds.

“We strongly believe that a quantifiable cut grade for fancy-shaped diamonds is now within reach,” says Robert W. Bridel, AGS executive director and CEO. He says EightStar’s technological advances will help bring the project to completion.

AGS will use data from the physical analysis of fancy-shaped diamonds to construct a new performance-based cut grading system. The research will be conducted at the new AGS Laboratories facility on its campus in Las Vegas.