Loupe

Loupe — connector documentation

• MCP endpoint: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: POST https://loupe.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://loupe.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
• Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
• Health: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/tools.json
• Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/loupe · agent@connectorbay.com

What Loupe is for

The question every jewelry box eventually raises — how hard is this stone really, what makes a sapphire blue, is this "citrine" actually just heated amethyst, what's my birthstone, is a lab-grown diamond a real diamond, can I put this ring in an ultrasonic cleaner — answered from one hand-curated gemology reference, checked against public mineralogical sources, without hunting through a dozen conflicting jewelry-store blog posts.

What it does

Mineral family, chemical formula, Mohs hardness, what causes the color, notable facts, common treatments, birthstone months, and care guidance for 20+ common gemstones — diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, citrine, topaz, opal, garnet, aquamarine, tourmaline, peridot, spinel, zircon, tanzanite, moonstone, pearl, jade, turquoise, lapis lazuli, amber, alexandrite, and morganite (gemstone_info); a search across names, aliases, mineral families and colors (gemstone_search); the 10-point Mohs hardness scale with everyday scratch comparisons, plus a filter to this guide's own gemstones at or above a chosen hardness (hardness_reference); the GIA-standard 4Cs of diamond grading — Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat — explained in full, including the D-to-Z color scale and the FL-to-I3 clarity scale (diamond_4cs_guide); the modern US birthstone list by month (birthstone_lookup); a factual guide to natural, lab-created/synthetic, treated, and imitation gemstones with no current pricing claims (synthetic_vs_natural_guide); hardness- and chemistry-based cleaning and care guidance, general or for a specific stone (care_and_cleaning_guide); color varieties grouped by shared mineral family, such as corundum splitting into ruby and sapphire, or beryl splitting into emerald, aquamarine, morganite, and heliodor (color_variety_guide); and a glossary of common gemology terms like facet, carat, inclusion, brilliance, cleavage, and toughness (gem_glossary).

What it is not

Not an appraisal service, a grading report, or investment or pricing advice. Loupe never states a current market price for any gemstone — quality, market conditions, and the specific piece all move prices constantly, and a real valuation belongs to a professional appraiser. It's also not a substitute for hands-on identification: telling a natural stone from a synthetic, a treated stone from an untreated one, or a genuine gem from a well-made imitation generally requires a qualified gemologist with proper equipment (a refractometer, microscope, or spectroscope, and sometimes advanced lab testing) — this connector explains the categories and what's commonly done to which stones, but it cannot examine or identify a specific physical gem.

Tools

Gemstones

gemstone_info — A gemstone's mineral family, chemical formula, Mohs hardness, what causes its color, notable facts, common treatments, birthstone months, and care guidance. Use for "what is emerald made of", "what causes sapphire's blue color". Args: name.

gemstone_search — Search the 20+ gemstones in this guide by partial name, mineral family, or color. Use for "what gems are in the beryl family", "what green gemstones do you cover". Args: query.

hardness_reference — The 10-point Mohs hardness scale with everyday scratch comparisons, and optionally this guide's own gemstones at or above a given hardness threshold. Use for "what's harder than quartz", "gemstones with a hardness of 8 or more". Args: min_hardness.

color_variety_guide — Color varieties within a shared mineral family — e.g. corundum splits into ruby (red) and sapphire (every other color), beryl splits into emerald/aquamarine/morganite/heliodor. Use for "what's the difference between ruby and sapphire", "what other gems are related to emerald". Args: gemstone.

Diamonds & Birthstones

diamond_4cs_guide — The GIA-standard 4Cs of diamond grading — Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight — explained in full, including the D-Z color scale, the FL-to-I3 clarity scale, and what determines a cut grade. Use for "what are the 4Cs", "what does VS1 clarity mean", "what's the diamond color scale".

birthstone_lookup — The modern US birthstone(s) for a given month. Use for "what's the birthstone for June", "what stone represents someone born in October". Args: month.

Buying & Care

synthetic_vs_natural_guide — The factual distinction between natural, lab-created/synthetic, treated, and imitation/simulant gemstones — what each term means and how they differ — with no current market pricing claims. Use for "is lab-grown diamond a real diamond", "what's the difference between synthetic and imitation ruby".

care_and_cleaning_guide — Hardness- and chemistry-based care and cleaning guidance, either the general principles (which cleaning methods suit which kind of stone) or specifics for one named gemstone. Use for "how do I clean an opal safely", "can I use an ultrasonic cleaner on pearls". Args: gemstone.

Reference

gem_glossary — Definitions of common gemology terms (facet, carat, inclusion, brilliance, cleavage, toughness, play-of-color, and more). Use for "what does inclusion mean", "what's the difference between hardness and toughness". Args: term.

Conventions

• Read-only. Every tool reads public data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
• Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error). degraded lists optional sources that were unreachable.
• Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/loupe/support

Loupe — Privacy Policy

Effective 24 September 2026. Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us"), Menlo Park, California.

What Loupe is. Loupe is a connector (an MCP server and REST API) that AI assistants and personal agents call on your behalf for a hand-curated gemology reference: gemstone facts, Mohs hardness, the 4Cs of diamond grading, birthstones, synthetic-vs-natural-vs-treated guidance, care and cleaning guidance, color varieties, and a glossary. You interact with your assistant; the assistant sends us only the arguments needed for that one lookup.

What we receive. The arguments of each tool call — a gemstone name, a hardness threshold, a month, a glossary term, or a mineral-family name — the technical headers needed to serve the request (an IP address or a client identifier supplied by the assistant, and a Pro API key if you have one), and standard server logs.

Everything is answered from a bundled, hand-curated reference file and nothing is stored. No request is forwarded to any third party — there is no upstream call at all, live or otherwise — and no query is logged in request bodies, recorded, or used to train anything.

What we do not receive or store. We do not receive your conversation with the assistant, your name, or any information about a specific physical gemstone you own, and we do not build a profile from your queries: each request is answered independently and nothing carries over between requests. Rate-limit counters (a client identifier and timestamps) are held in memory for at most 24 hours. Hosting-provider access logs, which contain IP addresses and request paths but not request bodies, are retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

Sub-processors. None — the entire dataset is bundled with the server and answered locally. Hosting: Vercel (United States regions).

Legal bases and your rights. Our processing is necessary to provide the service you request through your assistant. Because we store no personal data beyond short-lived logs, requests to access, correct or delete personal data are usually satisfied automatically; you can still contact agent@connectorbay.com and we will respond within 30 days. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use your data to train models.

Children. Loupe is a general-audience service operated by the adult using the assistant.

Changes. We will post changes here with a new effective date.

Loupe — Terms of Service

Effective 24 September 2026. These terms govern use of the Loupe connector ("the Service") operated by Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us").

1. The Service. Loupe returns a hand-curated gemology reference — gemstone facts, Mohs hardness, the GIA 4Cs of diamond grading, birthstones, synthetic-vs-natural-vs-treated guidance, care and cleaning guidance, color varieties, and a glossary — from data checked against public mineralogical references at build time. It is accessed through an AI assistant or directly over MCP or HTTP.
2. General information, not an appraisal. Loupe provides general gemological information for reference only. It is not an appraisal, a grading report, or investment or pricing advice, and it never states a current market price for any gemstone. Identifying, grading, or valuing a specific physical stone requires an independent, qualified gemologist or a recognized grading laboratory (such as GIA or AGS) — not this Service.
3. Facts and standards can change. Grading standards, treatment practices, and even trade-body birthstone lists are occasionally revised; this Service reflects public reporting as of the build date stated in its own data.
4. Acceptable use. Automated use within the published rate limits is welcome.
5. Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranty. We may change, limit or discontinue it at any time.
6. Data. Our Privacy Policy describes what we process. In short: your query is answered from a bundled reference file, and nothing is stored.
7. Pro keys. Optional Pro API keys are issued at our discretion, are personal to the holder and may be revoked for abuse.
8. Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Unify Dynamics LLC is not liable for any loss — including a financial decision made in reliance on the Service — arising from use of or reliance on the Service. Our total liability is limited to US $100.
9. Governing law. California law; venue in San Mateo County, California.
10. Contact. Unify Dynamics LLC · agent@connectorbay.com · https://connectorbay.com/loupe

Loupe support

Email agent@connectorbay.com. We answer within two business days.

• MCP endpoint: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Live status: https://loupe.connectorbay.com/health

When you report a problem, include the question you asked your agent, roughly when, and which agent you used (for example Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Never send us passwords, account numbers or ID numbers. Loupe never asks for them.