Troubleshooting — GemID Docs

Add RI and SG if you haven't — these two measurements eliminate far more candidates than any observation test.
Check that your color selection isn't too broad. "Multi-color" keeps many gems; narrow to the dominant color if possible.
Review your optic character entry — SR vs. DR alone can cut the list roughly in half.
If in Wizard Mode, try switching to Expert Mode to see and fill more input fields at once.

Tap "N eliminated" at the top of the results panel to see which gems were ruled out and why.
Your RI or SG reading may be slightly outside the gem's documented range. Check your instrument calibration and re-read.
For RI: ensure the refractometer contact liquid is applied correctly and the shadow edge is read at the correct scale position.
For SG: confirm the stone was dry before weighing in air, and fully submerged when weighing in water.
The gem may be an unusual variety or heavily treated, which can shift properties outside the normal range.

Verify the contact liquid (RI liquid) is applied — a dry interface gives no reading or a false shadow edge.
For doubly refractive gems you'll see two shadow edges — record both in the RI min and RI max fields. The difference is birefringence.
For cabochons, use the spot reading method: the spot will appear at the gem's RI on a dark background.
Stones with RI above the refractometer scale (~1.80) show only a faint spot or no reading — this alone is diagnostic (diamond, zircon, sphene, demantoid).
Check that the scale light is working and the eyepiece is focused correctly.

Tip: See How to Use a Refractometer for a full step-by-step guide including cabochon technique.

This is expected behavior. As you enter measurements, candidates are eliminated and the most useful remaining test changes.
Always follow the most current Next Test suggestion — it reflects your current state of knowledge about the stone.
You're not required to follow it in order; it's a recommendation, not a lock.

When "in setting" is checked, GemID reduces the weight on SG results because a mounted stone can't be weighed accurately. This is intentional.
For best results, leave SG blank on set stones and rely on RI, fluorescence, and optical character instead.
A warning banner appears in the results panel when the set stone flag is active.

Nat/Syn testing is a Pro feature. If you're on Free tier after your trial, you'll see a paywall prompt.
Start a new trial or upgrade from the paywall screen, or go to Settings → Subscriptions.
Nat/Syn testing is only offered for species with well-documented synthetic production. If the species doesn't have a protocol, it won't appear even on Pro.

See Nat/Syn Testing docs for a full explanation of the two-phase protocol.

Web: Hard-refresh with Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) to clear the service worker cache.
iOS / Android: Force-quit and reopen the app. If still stuck, uninstall and reinstall — your saved sessions are stored in Firestore and will sync back after sign-in.
Identification works fully offline. If you're offline and signed out, sessions won't sync until reconnected.