By Emily Stegman

Do you know all 11 components of a diamond's anatomy that influence face-up appearance? Ever wonder what steps a gemstone goes through to be graded? Need help estimating a cut grade?

The answers are only a click away.

The Laboratory section of GIA's Web site is more interactive, informative and user friendly thanks to recently added features, new downloads and a cut grade microsite.

If you are looking to submit gemstones for grading, you may be interested in the "For Jewelry Professionals" section to find detailed information about how to send gemstones to GIA, including fee schedules and payment instructions.

If you want more information about how to read and understand your Diamond Grading Report or Diamond Dossier^® you can visit the "Anatomy of GIA Reports" page for an interactive guide. You can also access "Report Check," a service that enables you to enter a GIA Grading Report number and the carat weight of the diamond to receive all the information from the corresponding diamond report.

Perhaps the most notable change is the addition of the GIA Diamond Cut Grading System microsite, where you can read about the background of the GIA cut grading system for round brilliant diamonds, learn more about a diamond's anatomy and browse a glossary of helpful terms.

The microsite's "Estimating a Cut Grade" tab leads to the link for the GIA Facetware™ Cut Estimator software, a free online service that helps estimate cut grades by accessing the Institute's database of more than 38.5 million diamond proportion sets.

Tom Moses, senior vice president of the GIA Laboratory, said the additions are in keeping with GIA's nonprofit mission to ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry.

"We have created a space where people can learn about our grading processes and reports, discover many useful tools and contact our client services representatives more easily," he said. "Our goal is to build trust by making information and laboratory services easier to access and more convenient for everyone."