Identify Any Crystal from a Photo
Crystal identification gets confusing because half the names you hear at metaphysical shops are colors or trade names, not species. Our AI crystal identifier tells you the actual mineral, the variety, and whether what you are looking at matches the name on the tag.
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Crystals are identified by their color, the shape of their crystal form, transparency, luster, and hardness. A clear photo in good light captures the form and color that point to a mineral species. Naming a crystal is the first step whether you collect for science, decoration, or its supposed metaphysical properties.
Below are the kinds of crystals people most often want to identify. Scan yours to narrow down the mineral and its properties.
Common types of crystals
A quick reference to the ones people ask about most. Not sure which you have? Snap a photo above and let the AI name it.
Quartz family
Clear, rose, and smoky quartz with six-sided points. The most common crystals and the base of many varieties.
Amethyst and citrine
Purple amethyst and golden citrine, both quartz colored by trace elements. Common in geodes and clusters.
Agate and chalcedony
Banded, waxy quartz that forms in layers. Often cut and polished into slices and cabochons.
Fluorite
Glassy cubes in green, purple, and blue, sometimes color-zoned. Softer than quartz and easy to scratch.
Pyrite and metallic minerals
Brassy 'fool's gold' cubes and other shiny metallic crystals, told apart by color, streak, and shape.
Tumbled and polished stones
Smooth, rounded stones whose original crystal form is gone, identified mostly by color and banding.
Why identifying crystals matters
Knowing the actual mineral matters for two reasons: value and physical care. A piece sold as natural citrine is usually heat-treated amethyst, and tumbled selenite dissolves in water while quartz does not. A correct identification protects what you bought and tells you whether you got what you paid for.
What helps identify crystals
Crystal habit
The natural shape: hexagonal points (quartz family), cubic blocks (pyrite, fluorite, halite), rhombs (calcite), or fibrous masses (selenite, gypsum).
Color and zoning
Purple suggests amethyst, but pink can be rose quartz, pink calcite, or rhodochrosite. Color zones inside the crystal often reveal the species.
Transparency and luster
Glassy, waxy, pearly, or metallic luster narrows the candidates. Translucent vs opaque under direct light is a fast diagnostic.
Hardness
A steel knife (Mohs ~5.5) scratches calcite and gypsum but not quartz or topaz. Fingernail (Mohs ~2.5) scratches selenite and talc.
Real crystal or dyed glass?
Bright, flawless 'crystals' sold cheaply are often dyed glass or reconstituted stone. Real crystals usually show natural inclusions, color zoning, and a specific hardness, while glass has bubbles, perfectly even color, and rounded mold edges. A photo can raise suspicion, but confirming a natural crystal often takes a hardness or streak test the AI cannot do.
Photo tips for the best identification
- 1Photograph in natural daylight, not under warm bulbs — they shift color perception.
- 2If the crystal has a flat polished face, show that and an unpolished face.
- 3For clusters, capture the full piece and a close-up of one or two individual points.
- 4Include a coin or ruler so the AI can estimate scale.
Frequently asked questions
Is my crystal real or fake?
Most fakes are dyed howlite (sold as turquoise), heat-treated amethyst (sold as citrine), and glass (sold as obsidian or aventurine). The AI usually flags these by texture, color uniformity, and inclusion pattern.
Why does my citrine look orange and uniform?
Natural citrine is rare and ranges from pale yellow to smoky yellow with subtle zoning. The bright orange-to-amber color most people buy is heat-treated amethyst — still real quartz, just not naturally citrine.
Can the AI tell me what the crystal does spiritually?
No. Identification is mineralogical. Spiritual attributes come from human tradition and vary by source — we do not assign them.
Identify crystals on the go
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