Diamond Identifier: Free Photo Identification
Upload a picture of a rough crystal or mounted gem. Find out what diamond is this and learn field verification tests.
Drop your rock photo here to identify for free
Snap or upload any rock, crystal, mineral, or stone. Our AI analyzes texture, color, and cleavage instantly.
What Diamond Is This? Instant Photo Diamond Identification
Diamonds are pure crystalline carbon formed under extraordinary pressure and heat 100 to 200 miles beneath the Earth's surface in the upper mantle. If you found an uncut crystal in gravel or inherited jewelry and wondered what diamond is this, our AI evaluates characteristic octahedral geometry, triangular growth hillocks (trigons), surface adamantine luster, and refractive dispersion to identify diamond candidates.
What Kind of Diamond Is This? Rough vs. Cut, Types & Colors
To understand what kind of diamond is this, diamonds are classified into rough geological specimens (octahedrons, dodecahedrons, macles, and industrial bort) and cut gemstones. Furthermore, gemologists classify diamond types by nitrogen lattice presence (Type Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb) and color grading ranging from D-to-Z colorless stones to fancy colored diamonds (canary yellow, blue, pink, and black carbonado).
How to Tell If a Diamond Is Real (Vs. Moissanite, CZ, or Quartz)
The Fog Breath Test
Breathe warm air onto the stone like fogging a mirror. Diamonds are supreme thermal conductors: the condensation evaporates almost instantly (< 1 second). Glass or cubic zirconia stays fogged for 3 to 5 seconds.
Corundum / Sapphire Scratch Test
Diamond is the hardest known natural substance (Mohs 10). It easily scratches sapphire and ruby (corundum, Mohs 9). Clear quartz (Mohs 7) or cubic zirconia (Mohs 8.5) cannot scratch sapphire.
Read-Through Transparency Test
Place a loose loose round brilliant face down on a printed newspaper. Due to extreme light refraction, you cannot read or see the letters through a real diamond. You can easily read letters through glass or quartz.
UV Fluorescence & Trigons
Under a long-wave blacklight UV lamp, roughly 30% of natural diamonds emit medium-to-strong blue fluorescence. Under magnification, rough diamonds display microscopic raised triangular growth pyramids (trigons).
Common Diamond Specimens
| Specimen Name | Category | Key Identification Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Rough Octahedral Diamond | Native Carbon (Isometric) | Eight-sided double pyramid crystal with oily adamantine luster and triangular trigons. |
| Cubic Zirconia (CZ) | Synthetic Zirconium Oxide | Heavier than diamond by 70%, shows rainbow flashes, scratches easily over time. |
| Moissanite | Silicon Carbide (SiC) | Extremely hard (Mohs 9.25), displays intense disco-ball double refraction under loupe. |
| Herkimer 'Diamond' | Double-Terminated Quartz | Natural 18-faceted clear quartz crystal; Mohs 7; completely unable to scratch sapphire. |