diff --git a/src/rope/rope.rs b/src/rope/rope.rs
index 26cc4f3..f68621b 100644
--- a/src/rope/rope.rs
+++ b/src/rope/rope.rs
@@ -436,6 +436,27 @@ impl Rope {
         is_grapheme_boundary(self.chunks(), self.byte_len(), byte_offset)
     }
 
+    /// Returns true if this rope and `other` point to precisely the same
+    /// in-memory data.
+    ///
+    /// This happens when one of the ropes is a clone of the other and
+    /// neither have been modified since then.  Because clones initially
+    /// share all the same data, it can be useful to check if they still
+    /// point to precisely the same memory as a way of determining
+    /// whether they are both still unmodified.
+    ///
+    /// Note: this is distinct from checking for equality: two ropes can
+    /// have the same *contents* (equal) but be stored in different
+    /// memory locations (not instances).  Importantly, two clones that
+    /// post-cloning are modified identically will *not* be instances
+    /// anymore, even though they will have equal contents.
+    ///
+    /// Runs in O(1) time.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn is_instance(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        self.tree.is_instance(&other.tree)
+    }
+
     /// Returns the line at `line_index`, without its line terminator.
     ///
     /// If you want to include the line break consider taking a
diff --git a/src/tree/tree.rs b/src/tree/tree.rs
index ea42833..20ff68c 100644
--- a/src/tree/tree.rs
+++ b/src/tree/tree.rs
@@ -134,6 +134,12 @@ impl<const ARITY: usize, L: Leaf> Tree<ARITY, L> {
         Self { root: Arc::new(Node::Internal(root)) }
     }
 
+    /// Returns `true` if the two roots point to the same allocation.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn is_instance(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        Arc::ptr_eq(&self.root, &other.root)
+    }
+
     /// Returns the leaf containing the `measure`-th unit of the `M`-metric,
     /// plus the `M`-measure of all the leaves before it.
     #[inline]
diff --git a/tests/rope_indexing.rs b/tests/rope_indexing.rs
index cd9fdef..b5346a8 100644
--- a/tests/rope_indexing.rs
+++ b/tests/rope_indexing.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,24 @@ fn rope_is_char_boundary() {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg_attr(miri, ignore)]
+#[test]
+fn rope_is_instance() {
+    let r = Rope::from("Hello there!");
+    let mut c1 = r.clone();
+    let c2 = c1.clone();
+
+    assert!(r.is_instance(&c1));
+    assert!(r.is_instance(&c2));
+    assert!(c1.is_instance(&c2));
+
+    c1.insert(0, "Oh! ");
+
+    assert!(!r.is_instance(&c1));
+    assert!(r.is_instance(&c2));
+    assert!(!c1.is_instance(&c2));
+}
+
 /// ```
 /// Root
 /// ├───┐