Free Gold Identifier by Photo —
Real Gold or Fool’s Gold?
Upload a photo of your golden specimen and our AI gold identifier screens native gold against pyrite, chalcopyrite, mica, and other look-alikes. Works for nuggets, flakes, placer gold, and specimens in matrix. Educational screening only; not a lab assay.
How to Identify Gold in 3 Steps
No assay lab required — our AI gold screener compares your specimen to the most common gold look-alikes.
Upload Your Gold Photo
Take clear, well-lit photos in natural daylight with a scale object (coin or ruler). Upload up to 3 images — full specimen, close-up surface, and matrix or host rock if present.
Add Optional Details
Tell us where you found it, streak test result, heft (weight vs size), magnetism, and whether you see cubic crystals or flat flaky sheets. These clues separate gold from pyrite instantly.
Get Your Screening Result
Our AI analyses colour, luster, crystal form, surface texture, and matrix context to screen native gold vs fool’s gold with an honest confidence level.
Upload Your Gold Photo
Drag & drop up to 3 photos below, or click to browse. Include a coin or ruler for scale. Add streak and heft details for best results.
Coin or ruler
Texture & crystals
Quartz vein, gravel
JPG, PNG & WEBP accepted · Max 3 images · Nuggets, flakes, placer & matrix gold
Gold Identifier
Upload sharp photos with scale — colour, crystal shape, streak, and heft help separate native gold from pyrite, chalcopyrite, and mica. AI screening only; not a lab assay.
Drag & drop photos here
or click to browse
JPG, PNG, WEBP accepted
0 of 3 images added
Add details for better accuracy (optional)
Upload up to 3 angles for the most accurate result
Description
Origin / formation
Hardness (Mohs)
Luster
Rarity
Relative value
Notable localities / regions
Typical colours
Key properties
Similar look-alikes
Alternative identifications
Drag & drop photos here
or click to browse
JPG, PNG, WEBP accepted
0 of 3 images added
⚙ Add details for better accuracy (optional)
Upload up to 3 angles for the most accurate result
How to Take a Better Gold Photo for Identification
A clear photo with scale is the single biggest factor in accurate gold screening. Follow these tips for a more precise result.
✓ Do This
✗ Avoid This
Pro Tip — Photograph the Streak
If you’ve done a streak test, photograph the streak line on unglazed porcelain alongside the specimen. A golden yellow streak strongly indicates native gold; a black or greenish-black streak indicates pyrite or chalcopyrite. This single test is often more diagnostic than colour alone.
Add Physical Observations
In the notes field, mention if your specimen: bends when pressed with a pin (gold is soft), shows perfect cubic crystals (pyrite), has flexible flaky sheets (mica), feels surprisingly heavy (gold SG 19.3), attracts a magnet (rules out gold), or has iridescent purple-blue tarnish (chalcopyrite).
What Could Your Golden Specimen Be?
Our free gold identifier screens your specimen against the most common gold look-alikes found in streams, mines, and rock shops.
Native Gold
Natural metallic gold occurring as nuggets, flakes, wires, or dendritic forms. Warm butter-yellow colour, bright metallic luster, very soft (Mohs 2.5–3), extremely dense (SG 19.3), non-magnetic, golden streak.
Pyrite (Fool’s Gold)
Iron sulfide — the most common gold impostor. Brassy pale yellow, forms perfect cubic or pyritohedral crystals, hard (Mohs 6–6.5), brittle, black streak. Far more common than real gold in most locations.
Chalcopyrite
Copper iron sulfide with a brassy yellow colour often confused with gold. Develops iridescent purple, blue, or green tarnish. Black streak. Harder than gold (Mohs 3.5–4). Common in copper mining areas.
Mica (Muscovite / Biotite)
Flaky, sheet-like minerals that glint gold in sunlight. Very light weight, flexible flakes, no metallic density. Muscovite is silvery; biotite is dark brown-black. Often mistaken for gold flakes in sand and gravel.
Placer Gold
Gold concentrated by water in streams and riverbeds. Rounded nuggets and flakes worn smooth by erosion. Often found with black sand (magnetite, hematite). Our AI factors in placer context when you note stream or river locality.
Gold in Quartz Matrix
Gold veins running through white or grey quartz — the classic ore specimen. Visible gold wires or patches in a quartz host. Use our rock identifier for the quartz matrix if needed.
Why Use This Free Gold Identifier?
Built for prospectors, rockhounds, stream panners, and anyone who found something golden and wants a quick, honest answer.
Photo-Based Gold Screening
Our AI analyses colour, luster, crystal form, surface texture, and matrix context from your photo — the same visual cues a geologist uses for initial field screening.
Powered by Claude AI
Powered by Anthropic’s Claude with precious metals geology prompts — trained to distinguish native gold from pyrite, chalcopyrite, and mica with detailed reasoning.
Detailed Screening Report
Every result includes likely identification, confidence level, key visual features, streak and heft logic, similar minerals, and honest limits of photo-only analysis.
Streak & Heft Logic
Add your streak test and weight observations in the notes — golden streak vs black streak is one of the most reliable field tests for gold vs pyrite.
Works on Any Device
Use directly in your browser on any phone, tablet, or computer. No app download, no account, no payment — completely free every time.
Honest About Limitations
This is educational screening — not a fire assay or professional valuation. Never guarantee gold content or monetary value from photos alone.
How to Identify Gold — What the AI Looks For
When you upload a photo to our free gold identifier, the AI analyses the same visual properties a geologist would examine in the field. Understanding these properties helps you take better photos and interpret your results more confidently.
Colour — Warm Yellow vs Brassy
True native gold has a rich, warm, butter-yellow hue that does not tarnish. Pyrite (fool’s gold) is typically a paler, brassier yellow — more like polished brass than pure gold. Chalcopyrite can look similar to gold but often develops iridescent purple-blue-green tarnish. Colour alone is not definitive, but warm vs brassy tone is an important first clue.
Crystal Form
This is one of the most reliable visual tests. Pyrite forms perfect cubic or pyritohedral crystals — if you see geometric cube shapes, it is almost certainly pyrite, not gold. Native gold never forms cubes. Gold occurs as irregular nuggets, rounded placer flakes, wires, dendritic (tree-like) forms, or patches in quartz matrix. Perfect crystals = not gold.
Luster and Surface Texture
Gold has a bright, enduring metallic luster that does not tarnish in air. Pyrite can develop brown or iridescent tarnish over time. Gold is malleable — it deforms rather than shattering. Pyrite is brittle and breaks into angular fragments. A smooth, hammered or bent appearance suggests gold; sharp angular breaks suggest pyrite.
Density (Heft)
Gold is one of the densest natural materials on Earth — specific gravity 19.3. A piece of gold feels surprisingly heavy for its size. Pyrite (SG 5.0) and chalcopyrite (SG 4.2) feel much lighter. Mica flakes feel almost weightless. If your “gold flake” feels light, it is probably mica or a small pyrite crystal, not gold.
This Is Not a Fire Assay
AI gold screening from photos is useful for initial assessment but cannot replace professional testing. Definitive gold content requires fire assay, XRF analysis, or examination by a certified assayer. For specimens you plan to sell or stake a claim on, always get professional laboratory testing regardless of the AI result.
Gold Identification Tests You Can Do at Home
While our AI works from photos alone, these field tests dramatically improve accuracy. Add your results in the notes field.
The Streak Test
Rub the specimen across unglazed porcelain (the back of a ceramic tile). Gold leaves a golden yellow streak. Pyrite and chalcopyrite leave a greenish-black or black streak. This is the single most reliable field test for gold vs fool’s gold and takes 10 seconds. Always mention streak colour in your notes.
The Scratch Test (Mohs Hardness)
Gold is very soft — Mohs 2.5 to 3. A copper coin (Mohs 3.5) scratches gold easily. Pyrite is Mohs 6 to 6.5 and cannot be scratched by a coin. If you can dent the specimen with a pin or knife tip, it may be gold. If it scratches glass easily, it is not gold.
The Magnet Test
Native gold is non-magnetic. If your specimen attracts a magnet, it is not gold — likely pyrrhotite, magnetite, or an iron-bearing mineral. Note: some black sand associated with placer gold is magnetic (magnetite), but the gold itself is not.
The Bend Test
Gold is malleable — thin gold flakes and wires can be bent without breaking. Pyrite and chalcopyrite are brittle and snap when bent. Only test on specimens you own, and use minimal pressure on small flakes.
Gold vs Pyrite — Quick Comparison
This is the comparison we get asked most often. Here are the key differences at a glance:
- Colour — Gold: warm butter-yellow. Pyrite: paler brassy yellow.
- Crystal form — Gold: irregular nuggets, wires, flakes. Pyrite: perfect cubes.
- Streak — Gold: golden yellow. Pyrite: black.
- Hardness — Gold: Mohs 2.5–3 (soft). Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5 (hard).
- Density — Gold: very heavy (SG 19.3). Pyrite: moderate (SG 5.0).
- Magnetism — Gold: non-magnetic. Pyrite: non-magnetic (but associated black sand may be).
- Breakage — Gold: bends and deforms. Pyrite: brittle, snaps cleanly.
Where to Find Gold
Gold occurs in specific geological settings. The most common places recreational prospectors find it:
- Stream and river beds — placer gold concentrates in gravel bars, inside bends, and behind boulders where water slows down.
- Inside quartz veins — lode gold runs through white quartz veins in metamorphic and igneous host rock.
- Old mine dumps — waste rock from historical gold mines often contains overlooked specimens.
- Beach black sand — some coastal areas concentrate fine gold with magnetite and hematite.
- Desert dry washes — arid-region placer deposits in seasonal stream channels.
- Glacial deposits — gold eroded from bedrock and transported by glaciers appears in moraine gravels.
Using Our Specialist Identifier Tools
Our gold identifier focuses specifically on native gold vs look-alikes. For other specimens, use our rock identifier for general rocks, mineral identifier for ores and sulfides, or gemstone identifier for faceted stones. For pyrite-heavy specimens that might also be confused with gold, our mineral identifier assesses sulfide minerals in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions — Gold Identification
Answers to the most common questions about identifying gold online for free.
Ready to Identify Your Gold?
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