Notes on reading stones from photographs
Short, practical pieces on photographing a stone, reading the visible clues, and where a photograph stops being evidence.
Identification, laboratory report, appraisal: three different things
What a visual identification is, what a laboratory report is, what an appraisal is, who produces each, and which one of the three this tool is.
Gemstone or glass: the indicators a photograph can show
Rounded junctions, swirl lines, bubbles, mould seams, luster and wear, each weighed as an indicator, with what none of them can settle on its own.
How to identify a gemstone from a picture
What a photograph carries, the order to read the clues in, how far a picture gets you, and the point where looking harder stops helping.
How to photograph a gemstone for identification
Daylight, a plain background, a wiped surface and a second angle. The settings and habits that decide how much a reading of your photo can say.