Gemstone identification guides
Plain answers to the questions people actually ask about identifying a stone, including the parts a photograph cannot answer. Free to read, no account needed.
Is my diamond real? What a photo can and cannot show
How to approach a "is my diamond real" question honestly: what refractive index, dispersion and thermal testing actually prove, and why a photograph alone cannot confirm a diamond.
Read the guideDiamond vs moissanite
Diamond and moissanite compared on refractive index, dispersion, hardness, specific gravity and crystal system — and what those differences do and do not look like in a photograph.
Read the guideIdentifying a gemstone from a photo
A practical, honest guide to photo-based gemstone identification: what to photograph, which visible cues carry information, and which identification questions photographs cannot answer.
Read the guideLab-grown vs natural diamond
Lab-grown and natural diamonds are chemically identical, which is why detection needs laboratory instruments. What can and cannot be inferred from a photograph or an inscription.
Read the guideRuby, sapphire and spinel
Ruby and sapphire are corundum; red spinel is a different mineral that has been mistaken for ruby for centuries. The measurements that separate them, and what photographs can hint at.
Read the guideReading the reference values
What refractive index, dispersion, hardness and specific gravity actually mean, typical values for common gemstones, and why they are reference data rather than measurements of your stone.
Read the guideWant a first look at a stone you have?
Gemology Lens offers AI-assisted preliminary screening from a photograph: what the stone most resembles, its cut and colour, and the reference values that belong to that species. It is not a certification and not a substitute for a laboratory.
See how it works