The American Gem Society hosted more than 400 members of the jewelry industry on June 1 at a special reception to unveil its new campus facility located in west Las Vegas. The $4 million project transformed the existing Robert M. Shipley building from 5,000 sq. ft. to nearly 10,000 sq. ft. and added a new 10,000-sq.-ft. laboratory for the American Gem Society Laboratories.

Designed with the latest security technology, the new AGSL facility offers a secure destination for goods received from around the world.

The expansion of the Robert M. Shipley building includes a new wing, which houses two educational classrooms. Each is supported by the latest technology in audiovisual equipment and will have library archival space for books, periodicals, and course materials. Both classrooms are equipped with a full array of gemological equipment, and each workstation will have computer capability.

Contributions to the AGS Partnership for Excellence Campaign have helped finance the development of the new AGS campus. The campaign has a goal of raising $4 million and has already received pledges of more than $2.4 million.

American Gem Society, 8881 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89117; (702) 255-6500, fax (702) 255-7420.