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Procedures for an independent characterization of lyotropic nematics by X-ray diffraction (XD) are presented. Nc (cylindrical micelles) and Nd (discotic micelles) can be distinguished on the basis of surface orientation alone by a method of sample scanning through the X-ray beam. The sign of the diamagnetic anisotropy susceptibility can also be independently obtained. The differences between optical and XD information for such a characterization are discussed.