AGS Code of Ethics

Mission Statement

The American Gem Society (AGS) is a nonprofit trade association of fine jewelry professionals dedicated to setting, maintaining and promoting the highest standards of ethical conduct and professional behavior through education, accreditation, recertification of its membership, gemological standards, and gemological research.

The Society is committed to providing educational products to inform and protect the consumer and to contributing to the betterment of the trade by creating industry standards to protect the jewelry-buying public and the fine jewelry industry as a whole.

The American Gem Society’s Pledge to the Consumer

The American Gem Society (AGS) was created with one mission in mind: to protect you, the consumer.

Our members adhere to the highest standards of business practices and ethics so that you can buy with confidence from jewelers you can trust. AGS Standards not only comply with governing laws, but go beyond that to ensure that you are buying from jewelers who have the knowledge and skill to help you make the most informed buying decision.

AGS Ethical Practices

In order to maintain membership, jewelers in the American Gem Society agree to:

Provide full disclosure of all facts pertaining to the products they sell.
Never intentionally deceive their employees, consumers, vendors, or business partners.
Compete fairly and never speak unprofessionally about their competitors. Likewise, encourage their colleagues in the jewelry industry to embrace these principals.
Resolve any customer complaints relating to the sale of a product.
Not sell conflict diamonds. AGS jewelers must make every effort to fully comply with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the World Diamond Council System of Warranties.
Continue their gemological and jewelry education, always improving their knowledge and keeping up with trends in jewelry and ethical business practices.
Adhere to the Anti-money Laundering (AML) program, which is designed to comply with the USA Patriot Act.

Under the guidelines for “Social and Human Rights Practices,” AGS jewelers are required to respect the fundamental human rights of all their employees, business partners, and, of course, their customers. They must adhere to all applicable laws related to work hours and compensation and they must conduct business in an environmentally responsible manner.

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