How We Know

Each stone’s physical properties (Mohs hardness, lustre, streak, crystal system, chemical formula, specific gravity) are drawn from the mineral data on Wikipedia and Wikidata, cross-checked against the parent mineral species for varieties. Photos are licensed CC BY-SA or public domain from Wikimedia Commons, credited and linked on every image.

We deliberately don’t claim instant photo-only identification — it isn’t reliable, and reputable sources (including the USGS) say so. Our identifier returns ranked possible matches from the clues you enter, for you to confirm in person. Metaphysical or “healing” claims are recorded as folklore, not fact.

How we estimate value

We never invent prices. Common crystals and tumbled stones are priced from recent eBay sold listings (realised sales, not asking prices): we drop lots and outliers, bucket by form (raw, polished, faceted), normalise per gram where the weight is given, and report the interquartile range — with a few real sold comps shown as evidence. Fine gemstones are priced per carat by quality tier, cross-validated across published gem price guides (GIA, GemGuide, PriceScope and established dealers) using two independent research passes, keeping the figures only where they agree.

All values are estimates, not appraisals. Quality, size, treatment and authenticity move real prices a great deal, and a seller nets less than the market price after fees. For anything valuable, get a certified gemmological appraisal.