Random Gem Generator
Enter a number from 1 to 5 and get that many random gemstones, each with its name and a photo, drawn from 119 real stones.More Animal & Nature Generators
The Random Gem Generator picks one to five gemstones at random from a list of 119 gems, minerals and organic stones, and shows each one as a card with its name and a photo. It is built for tabletop game masters who need loot on the spot, writers who want a stone for a ring or a relic, and anyone who just wants to learn a few gems they haven't heard of.
How to use it
There is one setting: the number of gems, from 1 to 5. Type it in, press Generate Gem, and the list is shuffled and the first few entries are shown. Press again for a fresh set. Every result is an equal-probability draw from the full list, so a diamond is no rarer here than a piece of rhyolite. If you want rarity tiers, roll for them separately (see below).
What you get
Each card shows the gem's name and an image of the stone. That's the whole output. There is no color, hardness, price or metaphysical text attached, which keeps the tool quick and keeps us from making things up. If you need those details for a game, the reference table further down covers the most common ones.
What's in the list
The 119 entries mix the stones everyone knows with a long tail of collector minerals:
- Classic precious and semi-precious gems: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Amethyst, Citrine, Topaz, Tourmaline, Garnet, Opal, Peridot, Aquamarine, Tanzanite, Spinel, Morganite, Kunzite and Zircon.
- Crystals and quartz varieties: Crystal Quartz, Mystic Quartz, Prasiolite, Ametrine, Chalcedony, Chrysoprase, Carnelian, Agate, Fire Agate, Jasper, Onyx and Druzy.
- Opaque and ornamental stones: Jade, Lapis Lazuli, the turquoise look-alikes Chrysocolla and Variscite, Malachite (as Azurite with Malachite), Labradorite, Spectrolite, Moonstone, Sunstone, Tiger Eye, Tiger Iron, Hematite, Obsidian, Sodalite, Howlite and Pyrite.
- Organic gems: Pearl, Amber, Coral and Ivory.
- Rare and collector minerals: Benitoite, Jeremejevite, Hackmanite, Cavansite, Dioptase, Charoite, Sugilite, Larimar, Moldavite, Tektite, Meteorite, Afghanite, Bastnasite, Eudialyte, Seraphinite, Pietersite and Super Seven.
A handful of entries are rocks rather than true gems (Lava Rock, Rhyolite, Septarian, Zebra Stone, Shiva Lingam) and one is a man-made simulant (Cubic Zirconia). They're in the list because they show up in bead shops and rock tumblers next to the real thing, and because they make good fantasy loot. If you'd rather draw a living thing than a stone, the Random Plant Generator and Random Flower Generator work the same way, and you can browse all animal & nature generators for more.
Ways people use a gemstone randomizer
- D&D and Pathfinder treasure: roll 3 to 5 gems for a dragon hoard or a merchant's tray, then assign values with the table below. The images help players picture what they found.
- Worldbuilding: give each kingdom, temple or noble house a signature stone. Pair it with a random biome to decide where it is mined and a random monster to decide what guards the mine.
- Jewelry and art prompts: draw one stone and design a piece around it. Drawing at random pushes you past the usual diamond-ruby-sapphire rotation.
- Learning gems: generate five, cover the names, and try to identify them from the photos. Most people can name Amethyst; far fewer can pick out Sphene or Diaspore.
- Naming characters, pets or projects: Peridot, Jasper, Onyx and Coral all work as names, and a random draw settles the argument.
Quick reference: common gems, color and typical rarity
The tool doesn't output these fields, so here's a small table you can pair with it when you need color or a price tier for a game. Rarity here means how hard a clean, gem-quality stone is to find, not how often the generator shows it.
| Gemstone | Usual color | Mohs hardness | Rarity (gem grade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | Colorless (also yellow, brown, blue, pink) | 10 | Uncommon |
| Ruby | Red | 9 | Rare |
| Sapphire | Blue (many other colors) | 9 | Uncommon |
| Emerald | Green | 7.5–8 | Rare |
| Tanzanite | Violet-blue | 6.5–7 | Rare (one source, Tanzania) |
| Amethyst | Purple | 7 | Common |
| Citrine | Yellow to orange | 7 | Common |
| Aquamarine | Pale blue | 7.5–8 | Uncommon |
| Peridot | Olive green | 6.5–7 | Common |
| Garnet | Deep red (also green, orange) | 6.5–7.5 | Common |
| Opal | White or black with play-of-color | 5.5–6.5 | Uncommon |
| Moonstone | Milky white with blue sheen | 6–6.5 | Common |
| Benitoite | Sapphire blue | 6–6.5 | Very rare (California only) |
| Moldavite | Bottle green | 5.5–7 | Rare (Czech impact glass) |
For a D&D 5e hoard, a workable mapping is: Common rows at 10 gp, Uncommon at 50 to 100 gp, Rare at 500 gp and Very rare at 1,000 gp or more. Adjust to taste.
Frequently asked questions
- How many gems can I generate at once?
Between 1 and 5 per press. Press Generate Gem again for another set; there is no limit on how many times you can draw.
- Are these real gemstones?
Yes. All 119 names are real minerals, rocks or organic gems that are cut, polished or sold as stones. A few, such as Lava Rock, Septarian and Cubic Zirconia, are rocks or synthetics rather than precious gems, and they are included because they turn up in the same shops and games.
- Can it generate a random crystal instead of a gem?
The list already includes crystals in the everyday sense: Crystal Quartz, Amethyst, Selenite, Fluorite, Calcite, Danburite and so on. There is no separate crystal-only filter, so just draw again if you get a cabochon stone instead.
- Does it show the gem's color, value or meaning?
No. Each result is a name plus a photo. Use the reference table on this page for color, hardness and a rough rarity tier when you need them.
- Is every gem equally likely?
Yes. The list is shuffled and the first few entries are taken, so every stone has the same odds. If you want weighted rarity, roll a die first for the tier, then draw. For something with a little more bite, try the Random Dinosaur Generator or the Random Animal Generator.