Gold Identifier: Free Photo Identification
Snap or upload a photo of your shiny rock, quartz vein, or yellow metallic flake to find out what gold is this in seconds.
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 Gold Is This? Instant Photo Gold Identification
Gold is a noble native metallic element (Au) that occurs naturally in hydrothermal veins and alluvial deposits. If you spotted yellow glistening specks in rock or pan gravel and wondered what gold is this, our gold identifier evaluates color tone, reflective behavior, texture, and host rock associations. Unlike brittle sulfides that gleam brightly only when tilted in direct light, native gold has a distinct warm butter-yellow luster that persists even in shade.
What Kind of Gold Is This? Lode vs. Placer & Ores
To understand what kind of gold is this, prospectors distinguish two major geological forms: Lode Gold (hard-rock gold found embedded as wires, crystals, and veins inside hydrothermal milky quartz, schist, and sulfide ores) and Placer Gold (weathered, water-tumbled nuggets, picker flakes, and flour gold concentrated along riverbed bedrock). In addition, gold forms natural alloys like electrum (gold naturally combined with silver).
How to Tell If Gold Is Real (Vs. Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, or Mica)
Pin Malleability Dent Test
Press the tip of a sewing pin into the metallic fleck. Real gold is soft (Mohs 2.5) and will dent or flatten smoothly without breaking. Brittle fool's gold (pyrite or chalcopyrite) will shatter into black powder.
Unglazed Tile Streak Test
Rub the metallic surface on an unglazed white porcelain streak plate. Real native gold leaves a brilliant golden-yellow streak. Pyrite leaves a greenish-black streak, and hematite leaves a reddish-brown streak.
Shadow & Lighting Observation
Block direct sunlight with your hand. Genuine gold retains its rich warm yellow gleam in shadow. Pyrite reflects light like a brass mirror and looks dark, dull bronze when shaded.
Extreme Density & Water Submersion
Gold is exceptionally heavy (specific gravity 19.3). In a gold pan with water, real gold instantly drops to the bottom rifflers and stays put when swirling, while weathered mica flakes float and swirl freely.
Common Gold Specimens
| Specimen Name | Category | Key Identification Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Gold in Quartz Vein | Lode Gold Deposit | Native gold filaments running through bright white quartz; commands premium collector value. |
| Placer Gold Nugget | Alluvial Native Gold | Smooth water-rounded golden mass found in river gravels, non-magnetic and highly dense. |
| Pyrite (Fool's Gold) | Iron Sulfide (FeS₂) | Brittle cubes, greenish-black streak, shatters easily; sulfur smell when struck. |
| Weathered Biotite Mica | Sheet Silicate | Flaky golden sheen in creek water; crumbles into tiny flexible sheets with fingernail. |