Ruby identifier · Experimental
Investigate a red gemstone.
Many materials are red. We compare what is visible in your photos against ruby and its common look-alikes, and are explicit about the questions only a laboratory can answer.
Add 1–5 photos of one specimen
JPEG, PNG or WebP · up to 10 MB each · 30 MB per scan
Optional details you know first-hand
Tell us what you measured yourself, what someone told you, and what a report says — we keep these separate.
Privacy: photos are used only for your scan, location data is removed before upload, and nothing is used for training unless you opt in. Guest scans are deleted after 24 hours.
Features that may help
- Colour zoning
- Inclusion appearance
- Lustre and facet wear
Common confusions
- Red spinel and garnet
- Red glass and synthetic corundum
- Composite (glass-filled) material
What a photo can't conclude
- Heat or glass-filling treatment
- Geographic origin
- Natural versus synthetic corundum
- Trade colour names
Questions
Can you tell if my ruby is heated?
Not from photographs. Heat treatment is common and usually needs laboratory examination to assess.
Can you tell where it was mined?
No. Origin determination is specialised laboratory work, and seller location is not geological provenance.
Is a flawless red stone fake?
Not necessarily. A clean appearance proves nothing either way.
Should I scratch, heat or apply acid to test it?
No. Destructive home tests can damage the item and still mislead. Record what you can see and seek qualified testing when the answer matters.