Where can I get a specimen identified, and what does it cost?
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Collectors get specimens identified by a few mineral dealers who offer analysis and by university and state geological survey labs that take outside samples. Published prices read in October 2026 run from about $30 to $40 a sample for a dealer's Raman or qualitative chemical test, $30 to $50 a sample at one university XRD lab (plus technician time for commercial users), and $88 to $125 a sample for X-ray diffraction at a state survey lab's external rate [1][2][3]. Raman can often be done on the whole specimen without damage; X-ray diffraction usually needs a small chip or powder [1][2]. Below: the methods in plain terms, named labs and prices, sending a sample, and what a result can tell you.
The methods in plain terms
| Method | What it measures | What it needs from your specimen | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) | How the crystal structure scatters X-rays; the pattern is matched against a library of known minerals [2] | A small amount of powder; one lab says about 1 mg is ideal [2], another asks for "approximately a 2 mm cube" [1] | Identifying crystalline minerals, including ones that look alike but differ in structure |
| Raman spectroscopy | How a laser's light is changed by the vibrations of the mineral's atoms, giving a spectrum like a fingerprint [4][5] | Often nothing: one dealer lab tests the whole specimen and returns it [1] | Fast, nondestructive identification of a species by matching to a reference library |
| Qualitative chemical analysis or emission spectroscopy | Which elements are present [1] | A small fragment [1] | Telling apart species with the same look but different chemistry |
| X-ray fluorescence (XRF) | Elemental composition, from sodium to uranium at one survey lab [3] | A flat surface or a prepared powder or pellet [3] | Chemistry of a bulk sample |
| SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis) | A highly magnified image plus the elements present at a chosen spot | A small mounted sample | Tiny crystals, coatings, inclusions and mixtures |
XRD and Raman identify the mineral; chemical methods tell you what it is made of. For most collectors' questions ("is this barite or celestine?", "which garnet?"), XRD or Raman is the right first test.
Who tests specimens, and what they charge
Prices below are as published on each lab's page when read in October 2026. None of the pages shows a date except where noted; confirm the current price and whether the lab will accept your sample before you send anything.
| Lab | Who it serves | Published price | Sample | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsumeb Fine Minerals analytical services (Dr. Robert Lavinsky, The Arkenstone, Garland, Texas) | Collectors and dealers | Qualitative chemical analysis $30 a sample; Raman $40 a sample; emission spectroscopy element identification $30; XRD offered, price not listed [1] | Chip in a small plastic bag in an envelope for chemistry; about a 2 mm cube for XRD; the whole specimen for Raman, returned at the customer's shipping cost [1] | Recommends emailing before sending; insured shipping for Raman specimens [1] |
| Northern Illinois University, Micro-Compositional Analysis Laboratory (XRD) | NIU, external academic and commercial users | $25 NIU; $30 external academic; $50 commercial plus $100 for technician time, per sample [2] | Homogeneous powder; about 1 mg ideal [2] | Library "includes only natural minerals" [2] |
| Illinois State Geological Survey, XRD/XRF Materials Characterization Laboratory | University of Illinois and "other researchers" at an external rate | XRD bulk powder $66 internal, $88 external; micronized bulk powder $93 and $125; XRF bulk solid $96 and $130, per sample [3] | Typically 3 to 5 g of dry powder for XRD bulk powder [3] | Contact the lab manager first; turnaround about two weeks per 10 samples; return shipping needs a FedEx or UPS account [3] |
| University of Florida IFAS, Mineralogy and Soil Chemistry Laboratory | Soil and earth science work | XRD as-is with no interpretation $20; identification of sand-sized minerals $65, per sample [6] | Soil and sediment fractions | Price sheet file dated April 4, 2023 in its name; built for soils, so ask before sending a hand specimen [6] |
Two cautions on the table. First, a university lab's external rate is usually set for researchers, and a lab can decline hobby samples or ask you to go through a faculty member; the Illinois survey, for example, says its external rate is "for other researchers" [3]. Second, a price without interpretation buys you raw data. A $20 as-is XRD run gives you a diffraction pattern; you still need someone to match it [6]. The lab pages that include matching (NIU says its software matches against a reference library [2]) are giving you an identification.
Your local club, a state geological survey, or a university geology department may identify a common mineral by eye for free. The National Park Service's guidance for park museums tells curators who cannot identify a mineral to "consult a university geology faculty member" [7]. That is good advice for collectors too, and the first conversation costs nothing.
Sending a sample
- Ask first. Email the lab with a photo, the locality and what you want to know. Ask whether they accept your sample, which method they suggest, the current price and how they want it sent [1][3].
- Choose what to send. For XRD, take a chip from the back, a broken fragment or a loose crystal of the same mineral, not a piece of the show face. For Raman at a lab that tests whole specimens, send the specimen [1].
- Package it. A chip in a small labeled plastic bag in an envelope is often enough [1]. A whole specimen goes boxed and padded, by insured shipping [1].
- Label everything. Put your catalog number on the bag or box and in the paperwork. The Illinois survey asks for clear labels and a completed submission form [3].
- Arrange the return. Some labs return samples at your cost or need your carrier account number; some keep powder for a time (the Illinois survey stores samples up to one year after reporting) [1][3].
- Record the result. Keep the report with the specimen's catalog record. A lab report is part of the specimen's documentation and, if you sell it, part of what you can show a buyer.
Do not mail a specimen you suspect is radioactive, contains asbestos or holds mercury until you have checked the shipping rules; they are on shipping radioactive, asbestos and mercury minerals. Suspected meteorites go to meteorite labs, which follow their own classification process; see is it a meteorite?
What a result can and cannot tell you
| A lab result can tell you | A lab result cannot tell you |
|---|---|
| The species, when its pattern or spectrum is in the reference library | Where the specimen came from |
| That a label is wrong | Whether a stone is natural or lab-grown, in every case: Raman matched synthetic corundum to natural corundum in one published study [5] |
| The elements present, and roughly how much | The variety within a species: emerald and aquamarine, both beryl, gave similar Raman spectra in the same study [5] |
| That a sample is a mixture of two minerals | Anything about a part of the specimen that was not tested |
| That a sample is not crystalline (glass gives no XRD match in a natural-mineral library [2]) | What it is worth |
One dealer lab says that "X-ray powder can identify on the order of 95% of all minerals" [1]. That is that lab's figure, and the honest reading is that a small share of samples will come back inconclusive. The Spectroscopy study made the same point from the other side: its authors sorted stones into correctly labeled, incorrectly labeled and inconclusive, and argued that "I don't know" is preferable to a misclassification [5]. If a result comes back inconclusive, ask the lab what a second method would add before you pay for it.
When the test is for a gem or decorative stone, the question is often treatment or synthesis rather than species. Those are different tests, often from gem labs; dyed, heated, coated and lab-grown stones covers what can be checked.
When the result disagrees with the label
Lab reports that contradict old labels are common, and the fix is simple. Correct the record without throwing anything away: when the label is wrong shows how to add the corrected name, keep the old label and tell a buyer if you sell.
References
- Tsumeb Fine Minerals (Dr. Robert Lavinsky, The Arkenstone), "Analytical Services" (undated, read October 2026). https://www.tsumebfineminerals.com/analytical_services.html
- Northern Illinois University, Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Micro-Compositional Analysis Laboratory, "X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Siemens D-500 With Jade Software" (undated, read October 2026). https://www.niu.edu/earth-atmosphere-environment/research/labs/micro-compositional/x-ray-diffraction.shtml
- Illinois State Geological Survey, University of Illinois, "XRD/XRF Materials Characterization Laboratory" (undated, read October 2026). https://geochemistry.isgs.illinois.edu/labs/xrd-xrf-materials-characterization-laboratory/
- iRocks, "The RRUFF Project: Raman Spectroscopy for Mineral Identification," July 18, 2015. https://www.irocks.com/identifying-minerals-using-raman-spectroscopy
- S. Lowry, D. Wieboldt, D. Dalrymple, R. Jasinevicius and R.T. Downs, "The Use of a Raman Spectral Database of Minerals for Rapid Verification of Semiprecious Gemstones," Spectroscopy 24(5), May 1, 2009. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/use-raman-spectral-database-minerals-rapid-verification-semiprecious-gemstones
- University of Florida IFAS, Soil and Water Science Department, Mineralogy and Soil Chemistry Laboratory, "Mineralogy Core Lab Price Sheet" (file dated 04/04/23). https://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/media/soilsifasufledu/sws-main-site/pdf/research/Mineralogy-Core-Lab-Price-Sheet,-040423.pdf
- National Park Service, Greg McDonald, "Health and Safety Issues with Geological Specimens," Conserve O Gram 11/11, September 2006. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/11-11_508.pdf
