The American Gem Society (AGS), founded in 1934, is a non-profit organization dedicated to ethics and professionalism in the jewelry industry. The requirements for membership are rigorous. Only 5% of jewelers nathionwide even qualify for membership, and even less of those are accepted.
Members must have extensive gemological degrees and specialized equipment as well as exacting ethical practices to be considered for membership. Once elected, members must pass a yearly re-certification exam to maintain membership. Any ethical comlaints by other jewelers or the public are also carefully examined to determine if a member had acted inapproprietely.