The Performance-Based Cut Grading System by American Gem Society (AGS) recently acquired a patent, and thus added the fourth patent to the AGS portfolio. The Society had received three patents in the first half of 2008. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted patent number 7,382,445, developed by AGS Laboratories® Executive Director Peter Yantzer and his research team, on June 3 2008. %% “It’s certainly exciting for us to receive another patent – it’s a wonderful acknowledgment of the work performed by the AGS Laboratories research team,” said Ruth Batson, executive director and CEO of the American Gem Society. The scientific summary of the patent states it is applicable for ‘methods for grading gemstones, apparatus for grading gemstones and systems that utilise such methods and apparatus.’ %% The previous three patents refer to numbers 7,336,347; 7,355,683; and 7,372,552. “The motivation behind our research is, and has always been, to contribute to the body of gemological knowledge in a way that enriches and protects the jewelry industry and its consumers,” said Batson