Gold Identifier. Is It Real Gold or Fool's Gold?
Upload a photo of your gold-colored specimen. The AI checks color, texture, luster, and crystal habit to determine whether you are looking at native gold, pyrite, chalcopyrite, mica, or another gold look-alike. Free, instant, no account required.
Drop a gold specimen photo here or tap to upload
JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC • Max 50 MB • 1 free scan per day
Analyzing your specimen…
How the Gold Identifier Works
Photograph Your Specimen
Take a clear photo in natural daylight. Show the surface texture, any crystal faces, and the overall shape. A dry, clean surface gives the AI the strongest signal.
AI Compares Against Known Gold Signatures
The model evaluates color warmth, surface reflectivity, crystal habit, edge sharpness, and malleability indicators. It cross-references these against gold, pyrite, chalcopyrite, mica, and dozens of other gold-colored minerals.
Get Your Identification
Results include the probable mineral, confidence level, key distinguishing features, hardness, and recommended physical tests to confirm the identification at home.
What Is a Gold Identifier?
A gold identifier is a visual analysis tool that compares your specimen against diagnostic patterns for native gold and its common look-alikes. Rock Identifier on the App Store and this web tool use the same AI model.
How AI Reads Gold
The model evaluates color temperature, reflective behavior, surface texture, and crystal morphology. Native gold has a deep butter-yellow warmth, a soft metallic luster, and no crystal faces. Pyrite is paler, brassier, and often forms cubes or pyritohedrons with sharp geometric edges. These differences are consistent enough that a trained model separates them reliably in well-lit photos, though tarnished or matrix-embedded specimens reduce confidence.
Real Gold vs Pyrite (Fool's Gold)
Gold is soft, Mohs 2.5 to 3. You can dent it with a pin. Pyrite is Mohs 6 to 6.5 and shatters when struck with a hammer. Gold leaves a yellow streak on unglazed porcelain. Pyrite leaves a black or greenish-black streak. Gold is staggeringly dense at 19.3 g/cm³, roughly four times heavier than pyrite by volume. If a small piece feels unexpectedly heavy in your hand, that matters. Pyrite loves geometric shapes. Gold is lumpy and irregular.
Gold Ore Types
Hydrothermal quartz veins are the primary host. Superheated water dissolves gold from surrounding rock, carries it upward through fractures, and deposits it as the fluid cools. White quartz stained with iron oxides is the classic indicator. Lode deposits are these veins still in place underground. Placer deposits form when erosion frees gold from its source rock and water carries it downstream, concentrating it behind boulders, in bedrock cracks, and on inside stream bends.
Gold Panning and Nuggets
Recreational panning is legal on many public waterways, though rules vary by jurisdiction. Gold settles where current slows: inside bends, behind boulders, below waterfalls, at the downstream end of gravel bars. A 14-inch pan, a classifier screen, a snuffer bottle, and a crevicing tool cost under $30 total. Most panners find flour-fine gold worth pennies per pan. Visible nuggets are rare, and collectors pay 1.5 to 3 times melt value for natural specimens with interesting shapes.
Gold Purity (Karats)
Pure gold is 24 karat. Most jewelry is 10K, 14K, or 18K, meaning it is alloyed with copper, silver, or other metals for hardness. 14K contains 58.3% gold by weight. Natural nuggets typically run 20K to 23K because they contain trace silver and copper from their geological source. Karat cannot be determined from a photo. Acid test kits, electronic testers, or XRF analyzers are required. Color alone is unreliable because alloy recipes vary widely across manufacturers.
Testing Gold at Home
The streak test is the fastest field method. Drag the specimen across unglazed white porcelain. Gold leaves yellow. Pyrite leaves black. The scratch test confirms hardness: a copper penny scratches gold, and a steel nail scratches it easily. The sectility test is decisive. Press a knife into the specimen. Gold cuts like soft metal without crumbling. Pyrite is brittle and fractures. Nitric acid dissolves base metals but leaves gold untouched, and test kits cost about $10 at jewelry supply stores.
Photographing Gold Specimens
Natural daylight gives the most accurate color. Direct sunlight creates glare on metallic surfaces, so open shade or a cloudy day works better. Clean and dry the specimen before shooting. Fill the frame and focus on the surface texture. If the specimen is embedded in quartz or other matrix, angle the camera so the gold portion catches even light without blowing out the highlights. Multiple angles help when the AI needs to distinguish malleable gold from crystalline pyrite.
Limitations
A photo cannot measure density, and density is the single most definitive property of gold. It cannot determine karat purity or alloy composition. White gold, rose gold, and green gold may be classified as unknown metal because their colors fall outside the native-gold training set. The tool works best on natural specimens: nuggets, flakes, gold in quartz, and gold-colored minerals. For jewelry and coins, a jeweler's acid test is the right approach. Try Lens App for additional identification options.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a rock has gold in it?
Look for bright yellow specks that stay yellow when you tilt the rock. If the color shifts or flashes at different angles, you are seeing pyrite or mica, not gold.
Is this real gold or pyrite (fool's gold)?
Scratch it across unglazed porcelain. Gold leaves a yellow streak. Pyrite leaves a black or greenish-black streak.
How do I identify gold nuggets?
Gold nuggets are heavy, soft, bright yellow, and malleable enough to flatten with a hammer without cracking. They never have crystal faces or geometric shapes.
What color is real gold?
A warm, rich butter-yellow that stays consistent in sunlight and shade. Pyrite is paler and brassier by comparison.
Can AI determine gold purity (karat)?
No. Karat purity requires acid testing or electronic assay. AI cannot distinguish 10K from 24K from a photograph.
Where is gold commonly found?
In hydrothermal quartz veins, placer deposits in streams, and lode deposits in mountainous terrain. The best placer spots are inside stream bends, behind boulders, and in bedrock cracks.
How much is a gold nugget worth?
Natural nuggets typically sell for 1.5 to 3 times the spot gold price because collectors value the natural form. Prices fluctuate daily.
Is there a free gold identifier app?
Yes. Rock Identifier includes gold identification and is free on iOS and Android. The web tool offers one free scan per day.
What is the streak test for gold?
Drag the specimen across unglazed white porcelain. Gold leaves a yellow streak. Pyrite leaves black or greenish-black. The streak color is more diagnostic than surface color.