FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AGL celebrates 5 years under new management
2 April 2014: NEW YORK – American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) a provider of high-quality gemstone analyses and reporting (www.aglgemlab.com) today announced its 5-year anniversary under the stewardship of Christopher P. Smith.
During the 1st week of April in 2009, AGL was acquired by Mr. Smith after the company’s brief sojourn under the umbrella of Collector’s Universe, a NASDAQ-listed publicly traded company. AGL was originally founded by C.R. “Cap” Beesley in 1977.
“Five years ago AGL was reprivatized during one of the most difficult financial periods the US and world markets have experienced in recent decades. However AGL had a good reputation and we did not want to see this legacy fade away.” indicated Christopher P. Smith, President of AGL. “Since then, we have seen a tremendous amount of growth and expansion in the scope of our activities, raising the name and reputation of AGL even further. The industry seems to appreciate the attention to detail that AGL imparts in the results we give, the products we offer and the attentive, personal service we provide”.
Immediately after acquiring the lab, Smith decided to concentrate all of AGL’s efforts on strictly colored stone reporting services. AGL focused on developing and refining robust criterion to ensure high-quality, repeatable and consistent methodology to gemstone identification, treatment detection and country-of-origin challenges facing the gemstone and jewelry industry.
Shelly Sergent, curator of Somewhere in the RainbowTM collection stated “Chris Smith and the AGL staff are knowledgeable professionals, who uphold impeccable standards, integrity and ethics for the gemstone industry. We use AGL exclusively for any gems to be considered for our collection.” She further indicated “AGL delivers the most informative and visually appealing certification in the industry. From the conclusions they present to the photos they provide, we find these certificates to add value to the provenance of our gems.”
AGL offers a comprehensive product line for the identification, enhancement disclosure, country-of-origin and full grading analyses of colored stones, such as ruby, sapphire, emerald, spinel and many other gem varieties. AGL provides independent laboratory services to a broad domestic and international clientele across the gemstone and jewelry industry. Clients range from major retailers to auction houses, wholesalers, manufacturers and privates.
In addition to the staple of the AGL’s product line, the Prestige ReportTM, AGL offers a lower-cost alternative for the standard identification and enhancement disclosure of gemstone via its innovative GemBriefTM format. In addition AGL has developed its premium product, known as the JewelFolioTM: A beautifully illustrated and detailed book to represent gemstones of singular importance.
The base of AGL’s operation is located along Fifth Avenue in the heart of New York City’s diamond and jewelry district however the laboratory has initiated the expansion of its brand and services by performing regular on-site testing programs during major trade shows in locations such as Tucson (Arizona), Las Vega (Nevada) and Hong Kong as well as other important market centers in Bangkok (Thailand), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Kuwait.
“These first five years have seen significant growth in the AGL services, as well as brand awareness in terms of reputation and recognition. Our team is highly capable and focused.” laboratory manager Maria Frances stated. “In the coming months and years AGL will be investing heavily in the laboratory’s infrastructure to better handle the increasing volume, research and services.”
As a concluding remark Smith added: “Through our commitment to strict standards, high-quality products and personalized service, the AGL team is proud of what we have been able to accomplish in just five short years and we are looking forward to a very bright future.”
Click on this link to view some notable highlights from AGL past 5 years
AGL Staff
From left to right: Alex Mercado, Maria Frances, Kelly Kramer, Christopher Smith, Helene Smith, Tatiana Houdegbe, Amy Neurauter, Bilal Mahmood, Bryan Clark, Monruedee Chaipaksa, Natalia Balogh
American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) is the United States’ most widely known and respected colored stone gem identification and quality grading laboratory. It was founded in 1977 and became the first gemological laboratory in the US to provide quality grading as well as country-of-origin determinations for colored stones. AGL has become an iconic brand for uncompromised standards and excellence in gemstone reporting and is regularly featured by the auction houses of Christie’s and Sotheby’s for important colored stones they are offering for sale.
Contact:
Christopher P. Smith