Abstract: A system for analyzing the chemical composition of a sample, comprising exciting a portion of the sample to generate atomic spectral emissions; a spectrometer for determining atomic emission characteristics; processor for receiving an output from the spectrometer, analyzing said output to determine atomic composition, said processor predicting at least one of (i) an origin of the sample, (ii) a treatment applied to said sample, (iii) a composition of the sample, and (iv) a feedback signal for controlling a process. Calibration samples are also provided for standardizing readings from the spectrometer.