“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

 

SCUBA DIVING

I first became casually interested in diving as a teenager after watching Hans and Lotte Hass films, and latterly whilst working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The company that I worked for had a SCUBA diving club which was British Sub-Aqua Club registered and had BS-AC training facilities.

 

Taking advantage of the training I became qualified as a Novice Diver, then through further training and experience became a Sports Diver and eventually a BS-AC Dive Leader. Living next to the Red Sea we dived almost every week.

 

Diving & Sailing Photos 

 

Diving in the Red Sea regularly for over 4 years, I also became interested in the marine life and started a collection of seashells.

 

SEASHELL COLLECTION:-

 

Cowries, Egg Shells & Cones

 

Harps,Babylons, Moons, Mitres, Murex, Venus Clams, Tulips & Spindles, Tops, Cockles

 

Marginellas, Turrids, Vases, Tritons, Olives, Carrier-shells, Nassas

 

Scallops, Conchs, Helmets & Bonnets, Augers & Turritellas, Turbans, Figs, Ceriths, Wentletraps

 

Tellins, Solenidae & Cultellaidae, Clams, Tusks, Sundials, Volutes, Star-shells, Giant Clams

 

Tuns, Chambered Nautilus

 

 

Notes on quality, size and location: There are generally two main classes of quality, especially among seashell dealers - Gem and Fine.

 

Gem: Most dealers consider gem as being perfect specimens, fully adult, normally coloured and without any breaks or flaws. Bi-valves must have matching valves.

 

Some dealers also insist on having specimen collection date and location available and in gastropods the operculum and periostracum intact. Some call these "Super Gem". Obviously these are the most desirable shells. 

 

Fine: An adult specimen with only minor flaws or with not more than one shallow growth mark. One small lip chip is acceptable, or minor spine break, or some roughness, but no repairs or filling.

Some dealers often sub-classify fine by adding + symbols. So you may find a dealer whose classifications are as follows: F, F+, F++, F+++ and F++++, followed by Gem.

Only by knowing your dealer well, will you be able to know the intricate differences in his classification. One dealers F++++ is another dealers Gem.

 

Other grades of shell are Good Commercial, Poor and Juvenile and not normally included in dealers catalogues or wanted in collections. Although a juvenile shell that has all the true characteristics of an adult can be referred to as a Juvenile Gem or Juvenile Fine.

 

For my collection I have used Gem, Fine, Juvenile, Juvenile Gem, Good and Poor. Where good and poor are used I have indicated what is wrong with the specimen.

 

Size matters Unusually large shells sell for premium prices. An exceptionally large Gem condition shell can be 10 times the value of a normally sized Gem condition shell of the same species. Similarly, exceptionally small shells that have all the attributes of a normal sized shell can command a premium.

 

Location matters Identical shells can also have a huge variation in price based upon where they were found. A Mauritius verses a Madagascar shell can again be 10 times the value because they are abundant in one location and rare in the other. This I do not understand as both shells are the same, and obviously this is open to fraud. 

 

Many shells that were rare 30 years ago are now common due to improved diving and fishing techniques. Similarly, many previously common shells are now rare due to over fishing - especially edible ones - and some, such as giant clams, are now protected.

 

Many of the shells in my collection I collected myself whilst diving, snorkeling or beach combing and these shells I cleaned myself - which is a highly unpleasant and smelly business.

 

Other shells - particularly ones not native to the Red Sea - were purchased from seashell dealers during my travels in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Many collectors focus on one or two specific families of seashells, however as I started accidentally and without any real focus, I have a very scattered collection across many families.

 

The study and history of seashells, whilst taking one in to the realms of zoology and the classification systems, also covers the social, religious and commercial uses of seashells. Everyone knows the conch shells that are blown like a horn or used to hold oil for a lantern, but in some cultures expensive shells are given as wedding gifts from the groom to the bride and rare sinistral (left hand spiral) shells are used in religious ceremonies.

 

The “Commercial Top” shell was so called for its abundance and use in making quality buttons, whilst cut and polished clam shells set in a wooden lattice frame are still used to make ‘frosted glass’ windows in traditional tropical houses.

 

In the 17^th century, then rare shells were guarded jealously by aristocratic collectors - feuds and even duels were fought over seashells.

 

Even today rare specimens will sell at US$ 20,000 at auction. I was even shown a shell at a Singapore dealers in the early 90's that was going to auction in the USA with a reserve price of US$ 15,000. The dealer opened his safe and showed it to me (he would not let me touch it), the shell looked nothing special, in fact quite plain, but had a rarity value.

 

But the real fascination of shells is their beauty – holding a shell and studying the intricate patterns of the ‘Glory of the Sea’ or the ‘Bengal Cone’ the brilliant colours of the volutes, cowries, murex and the shapes of the ‘Angels Wings’ and the ‘Giant Sundial’. One could go on for ever and with some 60,000 plus recorded seashells I will probably run out of time!

 

IDENTIFICATION

 

I initially identified my shells through the book 'Compendium of Seashells' by

R. Tucker Abbot & S. Peter Dance.

Second printing (revised)1983. ISBN: 0-525-93269-0

 

R. Tucker Abbot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Tucker_Abbott

 

Then once getting close to identification from the pictures in the book, I check internet photos for comparisons and confirmations, and finally the World Register of Marine Species. for latest taxonomy updates, because species are constantly being reviewed and re-classified based on more modern methods of identification compared with just a few years ago.

 

For information on Taxonomy relating to Conchology see: Taxonomy of the Phylum Mollusca

 

PHOTOGRAPHS

 

As I am not a particularly skilled photographer I have used more professional photographs from the internet. Many of the photographs of shells have been copied from the Guido T. Poppe & Philippe Poppe - Conchology, Inc. website - unfortunately a no longer an active website - and other conchology websites. Photographs copied are as close to the colour, marking, and where appropriate, style of my own specimens.

 

Wikipedia Guido Poppe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Poppe

 

Where I have been able to find photographs of the live mollusc on the internet I have included them.

 

 

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