RockScan directory

Crystals: How to Identify Crystals

To identify collector crystals, treat them as minerals with visible habit: check hardness, fracture or cleavage, and color with skepticism (glass and heat treatment are common). Open any crystal below for ID steps, photo tips, and fakes to rule out — geology specimens only, not glassware.

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How to identify rock types · rock vs mineral vs crystal

Quick field checks for crystals

Photo-friendly crystals still need geology checks: quartz-family hardness (~7), banded chalcedony texture in agate/jasper, play-of-color in opal, and isometric habit in garnet. Rule out glass, dyed stone, and heat-treated citrine lookalikes before you trust color alone. Use this hub with the crystal identifier pillar for commercial intent, then open any Batch-1 guide for lookalikes and lighting tips.

Featured how to identify crystals

Start with these deepened guides — each has a dedicated “how to identify …” checklist, lookalikes, and photo tips:

Crystals in Batch 1 (16)

Tourmaline

How to use this hub

Each crystals page covers the ID checklist, properties, lookalikes, photo tips, and FAQs — with a CTA to the online studio and the rock identifier app. Unsure where to start? Try what rock is this for photo-first ID, read rock vs mineral vs crystal, browse the full directory, or compare the other hubs: rocks, minerals, crystals.