AI Rock & Gem Identifier

This guide knows 18 stones across 12 mineral groups. Ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal, turquoise, agate, amethyst, garnet, lapis lazuli, malachite, quartz, feldspar, aquamarine, azurite, jasper, rhodochrosite, pyrite, chalcopyrite. That is the whole list. We could have padded it before publishing, but writing all 18 properly beat pretending to know more than we do. The list sits inside the app, visible before you take a single photo.

WHEN YOU PHOTOGRAPH A STONE The app never forces a match onto whichever known stone looks closest. When confidence is high enough, it shows up to three candidates, each labeled very similar, similar, or possibly similar, never a single verdict. When confidence is low, no candidate appears and it simply says it could not tell. The same photo returns the same answer however many times you try.

WHAT THIS APP WILL NEVER DO Judge whether a stone is genuine. Estimate value or price. Stand in for a certificate. Please do not use it to decide whether to buy or sell. Gem identification is the work of a proper laboratory.

EVERY STONE IS WRITTEN DEEPLY Appearance, the clues for telling it apart, Mohs hardness, main localities, and how it forms, each with its sources named (a Wikipedia source is cited). Ruby, for example, sits at Mohs 9, so a fingernail or glass will not scratch it, and it is said to be harder than the similarly red garnet or spinel. Clues you can check with your hands, written out for every stone. You can read the whole thing without taking a photo.