What do I do when a specimen turns out to be misidentified?
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Keep the old label, add a new one with the corrected name, the basis for the correction and the date, and update your catalog so both names point to the same specimen. Never throw the old label away or write over it: it is part of the specimen's history, and dealer and collection labels can add value even when the name on them is wrong [1]. Misidentification is ordinary. Even experienced collectors misname pieces, old labels carry names that have since been changed, and published lab studies sort specimens into "correctly labeled," "incorrectly labeled" and "inconclusive" for a reason [2]. Below: how wrong names happen, re-checking, correcting, renamed species and what to tell a buyer.
How a label ends up wrong
| What you see | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A name you cannot find on the IMA list | An old name for a renamed species, a variety or trade name, or a discredited name | Check the IMA list and Mindat for the name's current status (below) |
| The specimen fails a test the named species should pass (wrong hardness, wrong streak) | Misidentified when it was labeled, often between lookalikes | Re-test on a hidden spot; if the result holds, consider a lab test |
| A locality that is not known for the species on the label | Either a misidentification, or the label and specimen were swapped | Check the locality's species list; check whether another label in the same drawer fits better |
| Two labels in one box that disagree | A correction already made by a past owner, or labels mixed between boxes | Keep both; record which came first if you can tell |
| A label in a dealer's hand naming a trade name ("Herkimer diamond") | A trade or locality name used in place of the species | Add the species name; keep the trade name as part of the record |
| A specimen sold as one species that a lab later identifies as another | A misidentification by the seller or an earlier owner | Keep the lab report with the specimen; see the selling section below |
The Mineralogical Society of America's identification key warns collectors against "depending too much on any one or two properties or tests" and notes that "even chemical and crystallographic tests have been known to fail to identify a mineral correctly" [3]. Most wrong labels come from exactly that: a name given on the strength of color or habit alone, then copied from label to label as the specimen changed hands.
Re-checking an old label
- Read every label in the box, including the backs. Record the order they appear to have been written in.
- Check the name's status on the IMA list of minerals (next section).
- Check the locality. Does Mindat list the labeled species from that place? A specimen labeled "fluorite" from a locality where fluorite has never been reported deserves a second look. How to read those lists is on using Mindat and RRUFF.
- Run the non-destructive tests in order: habit, luster, hardness on a hidden spot, streak from a hidden corner, heft. The sequence is on identifying a mineral.
- Decide whether a lab test is worth it. If the piece is valuable, if you intend to sell it, or if the tests point to a species you would handle differently (a toxic or radioactive one), send it. Methods and prices are on getting a specimen tested.
If you cannot settle it, the National Park Service's guidance for park collections is sensible for anyone: identify each mineral from references and, if that is not possible, "consult a university geology faculty member" [4].
Renamed and discredited species
Mineral names change. The International Mineralogical Association's list of minerals, updated July 2026, is the official source for current names and marks each species with a status code, including Rn for "existing minerals which were renamed during the IMA era," Rd for redefined species and Q for questionable ones [5]. The list covers only currently valid species, so a name that is missing from it is either a variety, a trade name, an old synonym or a discredited name [5].
What to do with each:
- Renamed species. Write the current name on the new label and keep the old name in parentheses or in the catalog notes (for example "allanite-(Ce), formerly labeled [old name]"; the IMA list marks allanite-(Ce) as renamed in 1987 [5]). Search the old name on Mindat to find what it became.
- Redefined species. A redefinition can split one old species into several. You may need a test to know which of the new species your specimen is. Until then, label it at the level you can support ("member of the X group").
- Discredited names. A discredited name was shown not to be a distinct species. Find what the material actually is; Mindat's page for the old name usually says.
- Variety and trade names. Amethyst, Herkimer diamond and similar names are not species. Keep them, and add the species ("quartz, var. amethyst"). How species, variety and trade name differ, and how to write the current name, is on species, variety and trade names.
Correcting the label without destroying the record
- Leave the old label as it is. Do not cross it out, write on it or trim it. Mindat's advice to people sorting collections points out that old labels and dealer labels help show provenance and "can add some value" [1].
- Write a new label with the corrected name, the locality as on the original, and a line stating the basis and date: "Re-identified as barite, SG 4.4 measured, October 2026" or "Raman, [lab name], report 2026-114."
- Keep the labels together in the specimen's box, the new one on top. Never separate a specimen from any of its labels; the routine for keeping them together is on keeping labels with their specimens.
- Update the catalog, keeping the old name searchable. Record the earlier owner's catalog number alongside yours, as Mindat's 2009 advice recommends, so the specimen stays traceable [1]. How to set up those fields is on keeping the catalog.
- File any lab report with the catalog record, and note its number on the new label.
If you are unsure, write the uncertainty down: "probably barite; not tested" is a better label than a confident wrong name.
Disclosing a corrected name when you sell
If you sell a specimen whose identification you have corrected, sell it under the name you can support and say how you know. Show the old label as part of the specimen's history, not as its identification. If the correction came from a lab, the report is your best evidence, and a buyer will usually value it.
If you find that a piece you already sold was misidentified, tell the buyer and offer to make it right. If you bought a misidentified specimen, contact the seller with your evidence; most reputable dealers would rather correct a mistake than keep it.
What the law expects of descriptions, and the trade custom for disclosure on specimens, are covered on disclosure, and what silence implies. The rules on names apply with more force to gem material; the Jewelry Guides and the FTC's deception standard are on what you may legally call it.
Keeping the specimen's whole history
A corrected label is one more layer in a specimen's provenance, alongside every earlier collection and dealer label. Why to keep every one of them, how to record chain of ownership and how provenance adds value is on provenance and old labels.
References
- Mindat.org, Bri Dragonne, "Advice for people selling and sorting a mineral collection," article 836, last updated November 19, 2009. https://www.mindat.org/article.php/836/Advice+for+people+selling+and+sorting+a+mineral+collection.
- 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
- Mineralogical Society of America, The Mineral Identification Key, "Conclusion & Organization" (undated, read October 2026). https://msaweb.org/msa/Collectors_Corner/id/mineral_id_keyi13.htm
- 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
- International Mineralogical Association, Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, "The New IMA List of Minerals: A Work in Progress," updated July 2026. https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_%282026-07%29.pdf
