Next-generation mineral identification
Identify your stones in an instant.
AI gemmology assistant
Drop in a photo of a stone, a mineral or any piece of jewellery. Lapidem reads its colour, lustre and structure, then proposes an identification — along with the tests you can run yourself to confirm it.
3 689 stones identified
Drop one to three photos here
Several angles = more reliable identification — JPG, PNG
Observing colour and lustre...
identified specimen
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Observed characteristics
Tests to confirm
Alternative hypotheses
My showcase
Your identified stones, kept in this browser.
Your showcase is empty for now. Identify a stone, then click “Add to my showcase”.
The Lapidem Assistant
mineralogy · gemmology · traditions
How it works
Photograph
Natural light and a neutral background are enough to reveal true lustre and colour. Up to three angles for greater precision.
Upload
The image is analysed on the fly — it is never stored on our servers. The verdict arrives in seconds.
Discuss
The Lapidem Assistant takes over: care, value, formation, traditions — ask anything you like.
◆ Stone of the day ·
At your fingertips
The lapidary's toolkit
Interactive Mohs scale
Hardness is the first identification test. Tap a level to discover its reference mineral and how to test it at home.
Select a hardness level above.
Estimated gem value
An indicative range for cut gems, to be refined with a professional.
Purely indicative range: cut, origin, treatments and certification change everything. Only a gemmologist can truly value your stone.
Carats ⇄ grams converter
The metric carat is exactly 0.2 grams.
Tip: a diamond's weight is always given in carats, while a rough stone is usually weighed in grams.
UV light simulator
Some stones reveal spectacular colours under a UV lamp (from about £10 in shops). Switch the lamp on to see which.
Quartz, amethyst and tourmaline usually show no reaction — the absence of fluorescence is an identification clue too.
Is my stone water-safe?
Not every stone survives a wash. Check before you dip yours.
Birthstone
A gem for every month — a tradition that goes back to antiquity.
Identify by criteria
No photo to hand? Describe your stone and discover the possible candidates.
Choose at least one criterion above.
Pleochroism simulator
Some gems change colour depending on the viewing angle. Pick a stone and “rotate” it.
Stone colour chart
Tap a hue to discover every stone that wears it.
Choose a colour above.
Asterism & chatoyancy simulator
The star of a star sapphire and the eye of a tiger's eye follow the light. Move it and watch these phenomena come alive.
Microscopic aligned needles reflect light into a six-rayed star.
Collection labels
Create beautiful labels to print and cut out for your specimen boxes.
World map of gem deposits
The golden countries are the great gem lands. Hover over them (or tap) to discover their treasures.
Hover over a golden country on the map.
Gemmology's golden square
The four precious stones
In France, only four gems may legally bear the title “precious stone”. All the others are known as “fine stones”.
Diamond
Pure carbon, forged 150 km underground. The hardest natural material known — and the only one that can scratch itself.
Pure carbon crystallised more than 150 km underground. The hardest natural material there is — only a diamond can scratch another.
Ruby
Red corundum, coloured by chromium. Beyond a certain intensity, a ruby outprices a diamond of the same weight.
Red corundum, coloured by chromium. The finest, known as “pigeon's blood”, come from Burma and outprice diamond per carat.
Sapphire
Corundum too — the ruby's sibling. Blue thanks to iron and titanium, but it also exists in pink, yellow and even colourless.
Corundum too — the ruby's sibling. Blue thanks to iron and titanium, but it also exists in pink, yellow and even colourless.
Emerald
Green beryl, coloured by chromium and vanadium. Its natural inclusions, poetically called the “garden”, prove its authenticity.
Green beryl, coloured by chromium and vanadium. Its natural inclusions, poetically called the “garden”, prove its authenticity.
About Lapidem
Lapidem is the first AI-powered stone and mineral identifier. A single photo is enough: an intriguing pebble picked up on a hike, an inherited mineral collection, an antique crystal or piece of jewellery found at a flea market — visual AI mineral identification reads your image and answers in seconds, giving the likely name of the specimen, its geological family, a confidence level, and simple tests you can run at home to confirm.
A ring set with a mysterious stone, a rediscovered pendant, a family necklace: Lapidem also identifies cut gems and stones mounted in jewellery, and its authenticity-check mode helps you tell natural stone from synthetic stone and outright imitation — dyed howlite, coloured glass and resin don't hold up for long.
Far more than an identifier, Lapidem brings together the most complete lapidary toolkit on the web: an interactive Mohs scale to test a stone's hardness, the porcelain streak test, identification by criteria (colour, transparency, hardness), a stone colour chart, gem valuation, a carat-to-gram converter, simulators for UV fluorescence, pleochroism and asterism, a world map of gem deposits — not to mention your personal showcase for cataloguing your collection with printable labels.
Our lapidary guides cover reading inclusions under a loupe, gem treatments (heating, dyeing, irradiation), French hallmarks for gold and silver, precious metals, gem cuts, crystal systems and the history of precious stones — rounded out by the stone of the day, a new gem to discover each morning.
A whole section is devoted to crystal healing, always presented with the honesty that defines Lapidem — the virtues of stones as cultural heritage and tradition, never as medicine: an interactive chakra guide, a lunar calendar showing today's moon phase, a visual bracelet composer, harmonious stone trios, a daily oracle-stone draw, a kabbalistic life path and a great encyclopaedia of the virtues attributed to crystals, from rose quartz to ruby.
The Lapidem Assistant, our conversational AI specialised in mineralogy, gemmology and jewellery, then answers all your questions: how to clean and care for a stone or a piece of jewellery, its indicative value, how the mineral formed deep within the Earth, and what the traditions of crystal healing attribute to each stone. Beginner or seasoned collectors, curious walkers, crystal lovers, enthusiasts of antique jewellery and gems: Lapidem puts a name to all your mineral finds.
E-book · Gemmology & the gem trade
The Merchants of Light
My name is Lorys. For over ten years I have travelled the markets, the mines and the workshops of the gem world. There I learned to observe stones, to negotiate, to recognise treatments and to understand what a gem is truly worth. The Merchants of Light is a human and practical journey. You will find field knowledge and professional insight that you will not find anywhere online.
- Travel the great gem routes
- Understand the stone trade
- Negotiate with method
- Learn to read a gem
- Recognise treatments and imitations
- Use the tools of the trade
- Buy with far greater safety
- Step into the professionals' network
- Make sense of certificates