The assessment of pigmented lesions is a difficult area of dermatology and dermatopathology.  Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer in woman age 25-29 years, yet it is also a leading cause of medicolegal suits against pathologists.  Much of the assessment of melanoma is subjective, and as of 2015, we do not yet have a singular diagnostic tool for melanoma, in routine use, that has greater than about 90% sensitivity.  In my short primer, in introductory fashion, we will discuss how the diagnosis of melanoma is rendered on clinical and histologic grounds.