I have a sapphire pendant necklace that came with a certificate from something called the AGTA. Is this a reliable gemological institution?

The AGTA stands for the American Gem Trade Association, and it ran the Gemological Testing Center, located in New York City. It was probably considered among the top three colored gemstone grading institutions, along with the GIA, and the GGL (Gubelin Gem Lab Ltd. in Switzerland). Although standards vary among gem traders and jewelers and there isn't a single official authority on gemstone grading, I would estimate that a gemstone grading report from the AGTA would likely be respected in most places. However, unfortunately for some the AGTA surprisingly closed down this summer (2009) after it failed to recoop the losses it suffered thanks to the economic recession. I don't know what that says for the gemstone certificates that they issued in the past. I don't see any good reason why they shouldn't be accepted anymore, but a few decades down the line when no one remembers what the AGTA was at all, your gemstone certificate might not be of so much value. Now that is just a prediction, because I truly have no idea what will happen. The AGTA may even reopen its gemstone labs once the economy stabilizes.

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