Not sure if it is a bug or a feature but certain items that were identified when worn in ADOM (cloaks, gloves etc) are not so in JADE.

You can work out some stuff about these items by looking at how your stats change when you put them on but it's fiddly. So if these changes aren't exactly secret, it would seem logical that they be logged for the player in a practical manor.

Basically what I'm suggesting is that items are not simply "identified" or "unidentified". Rather they should have instantly recognisable characteristics (those that are reflected in your stats) and hidden characteristics that need to be identified through other means.

To extend that logic, you could have the character work out hidden attributes by means of differential equation. So if you are burnt (creating a control) and then later resist a burn then the character could identify that one of the items they had equipped between the 1st and 2nd event must have been responsible for the added resistance. It could result in messages like "you think either the wooden ring or the steel helmet offers protection against fire". The skill with which the character is able to make such judgements could perhaps be effected by the appraisal skill and perception attribute.

I was also thinking that you should be able to pay shopkeepers to identify items for you (since you can already kind of do this by selling them a product and then buying it back (Dishonest shopkeepers could perhaps lie to you to get a better price for an item). Furthermore, since characters will have varying abilities to identify the properties of an object, it stands that some shop keepers should be more competent than others. Less skilled shop keepers may fail to fully identify items and you could have a situation where a player skilled at appraisal could identify a high quality item that has been undervalued by a shopkeeper.