diff --git a/R/persistence-class.R b/R/persistence-class.R
index 3fed9f4..c96a184 100644
--- a/R/persistence-class.R
+++ b/R/persistence-class.R
@@ -257,6 +257,13 @@ as_persistence.matrix <- function(x, warn = TRUE, ...) {
 #' @export
 as_persistence.diagram <- function(x, warn = TRUE, ...) {
   info <- attributes(x)
+  # check column names
+  stopifnot(
+    info$dimnames[[2L]][1L] == "dimension",
+    all(c("Birth", "Death") %in% info$dimnames[[2L]][c(2L, 3L)])
+  )
+  bd_cols <- match(c("Birth", "Death"), info$dimnames[[2L]])
+
   filt_nm <- gsub("*Diag", "", rlang::call_name(info$call))
   if (filt_nm == "rips") {
     filt_nm <- "Vietoris-Rips"
@@ -281,7 +288,7 @@ as_persistence.diagram <- function(x, warn = TRUE, ...) {
   }
 
   dims <- dim(x)
-  x <- as.matrix(x)[1:dims[1], 1:dims[2]]
+  x <- as.matrix(x)[1:dim(x)[1], c(1L, bd_cols)]
   colnames(x) <- base::tolower(colnames(x))
   as_persistence.matrix(x, warn = warn, rlang::splice(params))
 }
diff --git a/inst/tinytest/test-persistence-class.R b/inst/tinytest/test-persistence-class.R
index 5c15f2c..e1cc26e 100644
--- a/inst/tinytest/test-persistence-class.R
+++ b/inst/tinytest/test-persistence-class.R
@@ -121,6 +121,14 @@ expect_message(
   pattern = "Negative, infinite, and missing dimensions will be omitted."
 )
 
+# Test that as_persistence() locates births and deaths in columns 2 and 3
+x <- TDA::gridDiag(FUNvalues = volcano, sublevel = FALSE)
+expect_message(p <- as_persistence(x), pattern = "[Bb]irth")
+expect_equal(p$pairs[[1]][, 1], x$diagram[x$diagram[, 1] == 0, 3])
+expect_equal(p$pairs[[1]][, 2], x$diagram[x$diagram[, 1] == 0, 2])
+expect_equal(p$pairs[[2]][, 1], unname(x$diagram[x$diagram[, 1] == 1, 3]))
+expect_equal(p$pairs[[2]][, 2], unname(x$diagram[x$diagram[, 1] == 1, 2]))
+
 # Test that as_persistence() errors out if provided with a matrix with
 # less than 2 columns
 x <- matrix(1:6, ncol = 1)