Guide
How to catalogue a mineral collection
Cataloguing a mineral collection is mostly about discipline, not software. These ten steps are the workflow used by collectors who can find any specimen, and prove where it came from, decades later.
Short answer: Catalogue drawer by drawer: assign a permanent catalogue number, record species, locality and acquisition source, add hardness and dimensions, photograph the specimen, assign a storage location, print a label, then export a backup.
Written by the Museumica team · Last updated: 22 September 2026
Step by step
01Decide on a numbering scheme before you start
Pick one catalogue number format and never change it. A simple running number, optionally prefixed by year (2026-0001), is easier to maintain than a coded scheme that encodes species or locality. The number is permanent even if the identification later changes.
02Work drawer by drawer, not by interest
Catalogue in physical order rather than jumping to favourite pieces. Finish one drawer completely before opening the next, so you always know where the boundary between catalogued and uncatalogued material lies.
03Record the identification and who made it
Enter the mineral species, any accompanying species on the piece, and the name of the person who identified it, with a date. If the identification is uncertain, say so in the record rather than presenting a guess as fact.
04Capture locality from broad to precise
Country, region, district, then mine, quarry or outcrop, and coordinates if you have them. Locality is the single field that most affects the scientific and market value of a mineral, and it cannot be reconstructed later.
05Add the diagnostic physical data
Mohs hardness, crystal habit, luster, streak, cleavage, colour, dimensions and weight. These fields let you filter and compare across the collection and help anyone who inherits the catalogue verify what a specimen is.
06Record acquisition and provenance
Date acquired, source (dealer, show, field trip, exchange, bequest), price paid, and any previous owners or old labels. Photograph old labels and keep them with the specimen — they are part of its history.
07Photograph consistently
Use the same background, lighting and scale for every specimen. One overview photo plus one detail shot of the diagnostic feature is enough for most pieces. Consistent photos make a catalogue usable as a reference.
08Assign a storage location
Record room, cabinet, drawer, box and position so that any specimen can be retrieved without searching. Update the location whenever a specimen moves, including when it goes out on loan or display.
09Print and attach a label
Every specimen needs a physical label carrying at least the catalogue number, species and locality, so that a separated specimen can always be reunited with its record. A QR code linking to the full record is a useful addition.
10Back up and export
Export the whole catalogue regularly to CSV and, for biological or scientific sharing, Darwin Core. A catalogue that exists in only one place is one accident away from being lost.
Frequently asked
- How long does it take to catalogue a mineral collection?
- Plan on three to five minutes per specimen once you have a routine, including photography. A thousand-piece collection is therefore roughly 50 to 80 hours of work, best split into short sessions drawer by drawer.
- What is the minimum data a mineral record needs?
- Catalogue number, species, locality and acquisition source. Everything else — hardness, dimensions, price, photos — improves the record but those four make it usable.
- Should I trim specimens or leave them on matrix?
- Leave them on matrix unless the matrix is damaged or unstable. Matrix preserves the association of minerals that formed together, which is scientific information you cannot restore once it is trimmed away.
- What do I do with old dealer labels?
- Keep them. Old labels are provenance evidence and sometimes the only record of a closed locality. Store them with the specimen and photograph them into the catalogue record.
- Do I need software, or is a spreadsheet enough?
- A spreadsheet works up to a few hundred specimens. Beyond that, photos, storage locations and provenance notes stop fitting in cells, which is when dedicated collection software such as Museumica saves time.
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