"The GIA Laboratory is committed to bringing the best possible laboratory services to our clients," Moses said.

"We're working on several levels to bring this about, from offering new services at new prices to expanding our geographic base to be closer to our customers. We hope to announce these and other improvements throughout the year."

The Loupe will keep track of these changes and other Laboratory and Research news, in a concise, reader-friendly format in this space each issue.

You can:
• Order printed reports
• View items available for pickup or shipping
• View all items returned to you within the last two weeks
• View results or request additional services, which may include rechecks or inscriptions

The online service is secure and confidential – only you or your designated company representative can access the system, which is updated every 15 minutes.

"We hope this will be a valuable tool for customers to help streamline and expedite their workflow," said Tom Moses, senior vice president, GIA Research and Laboratory. "We believe people will appreciate being able to monitor their items as they move through the GIA system via My Laboratory and we look forward to adding many more features in the coming months to further enhance this service."

You'll see the main sign-in page (top) when you go to "My Laboratory" and pages that show the progress of your diamonds (above).

Aaron Schlosser, of Robert Klein diamonds in New York, has been part of a testing group for the last several months and is pleased with what he's seen so far.

"I think it's a great idea. Everything moves a lot quicker," he says. "As soon as your stone is through the grading process, you can decide to print a report or have a recheck done. Either way it's a click of a button. You more or less have control of every stone."

You need to be an active GIA Laboratory client with a valid e-mail address to use the My Laboratory service. To open an account, complete and return the GIA Laboratory Online Services Application. Go to www.gia.edu, click on "Laboratory">"For Jewelry Professionals">"Online Grading Services," then click on the application link. Send it to the GIA Gemological Services Department via fax or mail; the fax number and address are listed on the application. GIA will send individual users a user ID and password.