What to call your collection or business, and whether to register the name
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If you sell under any name other than your own legal name, plan on registering it. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) says you might need to register a DBA ("doing business as" name, also called a trade, fictitious or assumed name) "with the state, county, or city your business is located in," and an LLC or corporation registers its entity name with the state [5]. Before you commit, check the federal trademark database, your state's business records, and the web domain and marketplace handles. A DBA filing alone "doesn't provide legal protection" for the name [5]. This page covers choosing a name that works for minerals, the checks to make, registration, and naming a personal collection.
Two different things to name
| What you are naming | Why it matters | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| A personal collection | It will appear on your labels and, years from now, on dealer labels as provenance ("ex. Smith collection") | None; it is a label convention |
| A business | It appears on invoices, show badges, tax permits, bank accounts and listings | Usually yes, if it is not your legal name; see below |
Naming a collection
A collection name is how your pieces will be known after they leave you. Old labels carrying a collector's name are part of a specimen's provenance and add to its value, which is why the National Park Service tells collection managers "never throw away old labels" [2]. Collectors of note are remembered by their collection names; a history of thumbnail collecting, for example, tracks collections such as John Barlow's through the specimens that carry their labels [3].
Keep it simple: your name, or your name and a place, on a label that will still be legible in fifty years. A clever name means little on a label without your own name beside it. How old and collection labels add value is on provenance and old labels.
Choosing a business name that works for minerals
A few points specific to this trade:
- Say what you sell, or leave room to grow. A name built on one species or one locality limits you if your stock changes. A name built on "crystals" tells specimen collectors you are a decor shop, and vice versa.
- Keep health claims out of the name. A business name is advertising. The FTC applies its substantiation standard for health claims to "all products and claims" [4], and a name that promises healing makes a claim on every invoice and sign. The full rule is on healing claims and the FTC.
- Avoid names that imply a locality or origin you cannot back up. A name suggesting your stock comes from one mine or country invites questions when it does not. What you may say about origin is on what you may legally call it.
- Test it out loud and in small type. It will be said across a show floor and printed on a 1.25 inch box label.
Checks to make before you commit
- Search the federal trademark records. The SBA tells new businesses to "check your prospective business, product, and service names against the official trademark database" kept by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) [5]. Look for the same or a confusingly similar name used for minerals, gems, jewelry, decor or retail stores. A conflict found now costs nothing; one found after you have printed labels and built a following costs a great deal.
- Search your state's business name records. The SBA notes that "Most states don't allow you to register a name that's already been registered by someone else," and that most states register businesses through "the Secretary of State's office, a Business Bureau, or a Business Agency" [5]. Some states also handle assumed names at the county or city level [5].
- Search the web and the marketplaces where you plan to sell, for shops already using the name.
- Check the domain you would want and the social and marketplace handles. The SBA points out that once you register a domain, "no one else can use it for as long as you continue to own it," and that registrations must be renewed [5]. A name you cannot get online is a name to reconsider.
- Write down what you found and the date. If a dispute ever arises, a record of your search helps.
These checks reduce risk; they are not legal clearance. A federal trademark is the step that protects a name nationally: in the SBA's words, a trademark "can protect the name of your business, goods, and services at a national level," and you file with the USPTO "once you've formed your business" [5]. If the name matters a great deal to you, or you plan to register a trademark, talk to a trademark attorney.
Registering the name
How you register depends on how you are set up.
| Setup | What usually gets registered | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor under your own legal name | Often nothing for the name itself | You still need tax registrations such as a sales tax permit |
| Sole proprietor under a trade name | An assumed name or DBA filing | Filed with the state, county or city, depending on where you are [5]; whether it must be renewed or published depends on the state |
| LLC or corporation | The entity's legal name, at formation; the SBA calls this the name "the state identifies your business" by [5] | The jim.com article puts LLC formation at "$50 to $500 depending on your state," and says an LLC helps "separate your personal assets from business debts" [1] |
| LLC or corporation using another name | The entity's name plus an assumed name filing | Common when one company runs several shops |
The rules differ by state, and the SBA's own advice is to "Check with your state for rules about how to register your business name" [5]. The cost figures above are one vendor's estimates as of August 2026 [1]; that vendor puts formation and license costs for a small crystal business at $100 to $500 in total [1], but your state's fee schedule is the real number.
Once the name is registered, use it consistently: on your sales tax permit, bank account, invoices, show contracts and listings. A sales tax permit or resale certificate in one name and invoices in another causes problems when you buy stock tax-free for resale; see sales tax, resale certificates and show permits.
A name on every piece you sell
Your business name will travel on your labels. Put it on every stock label along with the specimen's data, so a buyer years from now can see where the piece passed through. That is good provenance practice and good advertising at once.
Deciding whether it is a business at all
Naming and registering a business is a sign of running it as one, which is one of the factors the IRS weighs. Whether your selling counts as a business for tax purposes, and what that changes, is on hobby or business for taxes.
References
- jim.com, *How to start a crystal business in 2026 ($2K to $6K guide)*, blog, August 14, 2026. Vendor estimates, cited as theirs. https://www.jim.com/blog/how-to-start-a-crystal-business
- National Park Service, Kathy Hall, *Storage Concerns for Geological Collections*, Conserve O Gram 11/2, April 1998. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/11-02_508.pdf
- Jim Houran, Jim Bleess and Alex Schauss, *Little Wonders: Connoisseur Thumbnails in the Contemporary Collector Market*, iRocks, April 7, 2020. https://www.irocks.com/little-wonders-connoisseur-thumbnails-in-the-contemporary-collector-market
- Federal Trade Commission, *Health Products Compliance Guidance*, undated PDF; announced December 20, 2022, according to published law-firm commentary; read October 2026. https://ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Health-Products-Compliance-Guidance.pdf
- U.S. Small Business Administration, *Choose your business name*, Launch your business, page modified August 28, 2026, read October 22, 2026. https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/choose-your-business-name
