FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS / FAQ
Welcome to Product FAQ regarding Seashells, Starfish,
Books, etc.
For Ordering support, please visit our
Help
Centre
Please click on any of the
Quick Links below for
answers!
·
What is a Conch Horn? Can I
order one?
·
Can I order a Shell 'To Hear The Ocean'?
·
Can I order Chank Shells / Sinistral Shells?
·
What is
CITES? Can I order CITES listed species?
·
Can I order Clam Shells?
·
Can I order Coral
items?
· Can I order a
Seashell Operculum
(what's that)?
·
Can I order Seashells For Kids?
·
Can I order Chank Shells / Sinistral Shells?
·
Can I order Shells
for Cichlids / fish breeding / aquarium use?
·
Can I order Something Unlisted Online?
·
Can I trade
or exchange Seashells?
·
Can I travel
with Seashells?
·
Can I
visit / meet you?
·
What's a good Beginner Seashell Book?
·
Can you send me
a Catalogue?
·
Can you send me
photos of individual Shells?
·
Can you value
or buy my Seashell collection?
·
Can I order
Paper Nautilus?
·
How best to clean Shells for Aquarium / Cooking
Use?
·
How to cook
with Seashells?
·
How to Cut Seashells?
·
How to Drill Seashells?
·
How to Paint Starfish?
·
How to Polish Seashells?
·
How to sell
my shell Collection?
·
How best to
store my Shell Collection?
·
How best to pack Seashells
for shipping?
·
What is a 'Decoshell'?
·
What is a 'Specimen
Seashell'?
·
What is a 'Scientific Seashell Data Label'?
·
What is 'Specimen Seashell Grading'?
·
Why no photos
of Specimen Seashells?
·
Are Cone Shells dangerous?
Can't find your question listed?
Email us!
All good queries will be added to the list.
What is a Conch Horn? Can I order one?
Conch Horn =
shell as musical instrument (played like a trumpet). We
can offer you suitable
shells for making one yourself - find DIY info on YouTube for making and playing Conch
Horns.
Typically, anyone who can play i.e. a trumpet will also be able to play Conch Horn,
as the
technique is very similar. Traditionally, Queen Conch Shell (Strombus gigas
from Bahamas) are most frequently used worldwide, along with Giant Helmet Shell (Cassis cornuta), Syrinx Shell (Syrinx aruanus),
Giant Bursa Shell (Bursa bufo). Please email us for info
and available options!
Can I order a shell ‘To Hear The Ocean’?
Yes! Seashells resonate to ambient noise (see WIKIPEDIA
on seashell resonance). Some particular shapes work much better than others
(for example a violin or guitar case amplifies sound waves really
well). Some natural shapes (like the human ear) have
evolved to do the same. As it happens, Helmet Shells
(Cassidae) naturally have internal structure
similar to the human ear, so they work particularly well
for this!
Size is also important - the shell should be a bit
larger than your hand for good resonance. We recommend
our Red Helmet Shell XL - they are beautiful, with great colour
and just about the
right size to handle comfortably. They work well
for resonance (they pick up the faintest
ambient noise!). When ordering, just make sure to mention that you
would like a shell for this purpose and
we will select one for you accordingly.
Can I order Chank Shells / sinistral Shells?
Chank Shells (Turbinella pyrum) are from India and Sri
Lanka. We do not import them to
Australia and have never found anyone who does.
Our customers tell us that Chank (or Shankha) has two
varieties, based on its direction of coiling.
They are:
- Dakshinavarta ("right-turned", viewed with the
aperture pointing up), aka sinistral Shankha, where the
shell coils counterclockwise, viewed from the apex.
This is rare.
- Vamavarta ("left-turned", viewed with the aperture
pointing up), aka dextral Shankha, where the shell coils
clockwise when viewed from the apex. The majority of all seashells
around the world (incl. Chank Shells) are left-turned or dextral.
According to Hindu faith, a Dakshinavarta (sinistral)
Chank Shell
symbolises infinite space. It is associated with the god
Vishnu, whose consort Lakshmi
resides in a sinistral Shell - which makes these shells
very desirable for religious ceremonies.
While we can’t offer you Chank Shells, we may be able to offer
the occasional beautiful, natural sinistral Lightning Whelk Shell (Busycon
contrarium). Please email us for more info.
What is CITES?
Can I order protected (CITES Listed) species?
CITES (www.cites.org) is the 'Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora', an
international Trade agreement between countries. Its aim is
to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild
animals and plants does not threaten their survival by
restricting International trade with
the listed species. All CITES listed species have been
identified as needing protection and so we don't list any
of these online - with one exception:
As of January 2017, Nautilus Shells have been listed in
Appendix II of CITES, due to a concern of recent
overfishing.
We do still have a few examples of Nautilus Shells
(Polished, Natural and Cut Shells) available in our
DECOSHELLS and COLLECTOR departments. Once they are
gone, we won't be offering any more (and that's how it should
be). If you wish to order any Nautilus, please be
advised that we can ship these anywhere in Australia,
but we will not export or ship internationally.
Can I order Clam Shells?
Many people are looking for a
nice big white Clam Shell (Giant Clam / Tridacna) for
decoration. These are CITES-listed, protected species. If you google for more info, you'll see that
you can legally buy some in Australia
that have been collected with a license. We do not offer
natural Clam sells for sale.
If you are just looking for the big Clam shape, there
are realistic looking resin casts of real
Clam Shells available for interior design /
aquarium trade (try eBay!).
There are also beautiful natural
seashell alternatives to Clam Shells. Would a different shape
work for you? If yes, we
can offer you several other giant natural XL or XXL sized Bailer
or Syrinx
Shells..
Just email us for options!
Can I order Coral?
We do not sell coral items.
All marine environments are now under increased pressure
from pollution and climate change, meaning that coral in general
is under threat
now, or will shortly be. We sometimes get coral pieces
from old collections and give those away for free,
usually for
decor or education.
Can I order seashell Operculum?
Yes, we can offer many different types of operculum (aka
Operc,
Cat's Eye, Shell Door). We don't list them online, as
supplies are irregular, but
we do stock them!
Most commonly traded opercs are the shell doors of
various Turban (Turbo) Shells. They're oval shaped, white
/
bone / ivory - like surface with an embedded dark spiral line on
one side, perfect for jewellery. Some may have the
original organic
brown coating, which is removed easily by boiling or
soaking overnight in chlorine bleach to reveal a
pristine spiral beneath. Depending on the species, reverse sides
may look quite different.
We generally only keep operculi with good edge and
complete spiral side. Please email us with your required QTY
and type / size, so we can send you an offer!
Can I order Seashells for kids?
Yes! Seashells are very educational, beautifully tactile and exciting
objects for Children to discover, explore and play with.
There are some seashell types that are better suited
(robust, shiny, diverse) than others. Please email us for recommendations
based on age and play activity you have in mind.
Safety Notice:
There is no safety rating for natural objects like
seashells! We do not recommend that toddlers play
unsupervised even with the most sturdy of shells.
Shells for Cichlids - can I order shells for
aquariums?
Yes - while we can’t supply Neothauma tanganyicense
(Terrestrial Snail Shells from Tanganyika) that
Cichlids use in the wild (no import of
these to Australia, see Australian Department of
Agriculture regulations) - we can offer you a range of similarly
shaped and sized, extremely lightweight Landsnail shells
that we have supplied successfully before to happy
Cichlid owners, who report that fish promptly started
breeding as soon as they were given shells.
To offer the fish a selection (they enjoy
rearranging them), we suggest to pre-select a suitable Mix
of slightly variable shells in batches of 12 pcs. @ $
30.00 per Mix, but you can also order individually what
you would like. Please email us for details!
Can I order something unlisted online?
Of course! All you have to do is ask..
If you cannot find what you are looking for online, we
may not have gotten around to listing it yet. Please let us know QTY and type of items you
seek via email or send us an image, so we can stock-check and
reply with an
offer.
Can I Trade / Exchange Seashells?
Yes, we are always interested in trading for very good
quality Cypraeidae, Conidae, Volutidae – or any rare or
newly described species. We will exchange for those
virtually anything we list online. Please contact us via
email if you have a trade to offer.
Can I travel with Seashells?
Yes, seashells travel all the time.
People ship shells around the world and our customers
take shells and starfish overseas as gifts, or travel
with them to weddings and parties. There are no problems
with taking shells or starfish you purchase from us out of Australia and into any of the popular wedding &
holiday destinations like Bali, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomons,
Tonga, Hawaii, etc.
Area exceptions:
Currently problematic regions for traveling with shells
we know of include Brazil and Argentina, as both
countries recently changed their import/export
regulations.
Product exceptions:
None of the seashells we
list online are CITES-listed (protected), except for
Nautilus (no international travel with
Nautilus Shells), so please check if your order contains
any - that's the only exception.
All our shells & starfish products have been treated to be
dry and clean; they do not contain any viable organic
tissue that could be a problem with quarantine
inspections.
We cannot foresee all eventualities and it will be up
to the local authorities to allow your shells entry to
their country. If in doubt, please take your invoice
with you when you travel and have it easily within reach
to show if requested.
If you're still uncertain about travelling with shells,
please email us. We may be able to ship them directly to
their destination for you.
Can I visit / meet you?
Meet us on the road: We annually present specimen shells
for sale at trade events around the world. See our
current schedule on the News / Info page.
We are an
online business, so
we don’t have a seashell display, showroom or retail
store, but collectors can visit us in Perth by
appointment.
Please email us!
What's a good Beginner Seashell Book?
Definitely a FAQ: "Where do I start? What's a good general shell book that can help me
find good specimens online?"
Most seashell collectors have some seashell books at
home. Books provide a rapid overview of thousands of species
and their families, along with the correct scientific
names and corresponding images. Once armed with the correct
name and some basic
info on the species (i.e. typical size, colour,
location, etc), you'll find and compare individual specimens on
the internet much more quickly.
There is still no alternative to a good seashell book,
as many Specimen Seashells online are listed by
scientific name / author only. We are listing our
Specimens in categories (instead of individually), as we may have several hundred specimens in stock per
category and cannot possibly post individual images of
every item we stock.
Here's a good general book on worldwide shells:
Encyclopedia Of Marine Gastropods
by Robin, 2008 (French shell club AFC and Conchbooks
Publishing)
A great book for beginners and advanced shell collectors
alike; the most comprehensive up-to-date guide to
worldwide Gastropod shells currently available, incl. over 12000 images,
some general information on each species, the scientific
name, common name, average size and location.
Encyclopedia Of Marine Bivalves - the companion volume
lists non-Gastropods. Together they have now replaced
the famous “Compendium Of Seashells" by Abbott & Dance as the most
useful set of books on worldwide shells you can own.
If you want to focus on just one particular group of
shells (i.e. just Cowries) – or one region (i.e. just
Australia), we also have excellent books on those
subjects (and many more!),
just have a look at
Seashell Books here.
Can you send me a Catalogue?
In short: No printed catalogue,
sorry! Our stock is constantly changing and expanding,
but you can print out our detailed
online listings (in over 7000
different categories!) anytime. We invite you to browse and order
from us online!
The
DECOSHELLS listings
(decorative / craft / bulk shells and starfish, etc.)
include detailed descriptions &
images for each item.
The
Specimen Shell Pricelists are formatted for easy
printout from our website. Go to the
Specimen
Shells page and click on the links for seashell
families. Highlight the section
you want to print in any list - or just print the whole
list! Any printing problems, please email us!
Can you send me photos of individual Shells?
We are not set up for
quick individual digital imaging! While we supply many
other dealers (who offer individual images per shell),
you can also order from us directly. We have a different
setup:
We think
that
Specimen Seashells are by
definition highly individual objects and there is still no better way to evaluate a
shell than holding it in your hand and
looking at it.
We are offering you a ‘Money
Back Guarantee' for all our Specimen Seashell
items, which means that you can return any
specimen for a refund (or online
shop credit if you prefer that) to the full
value of the item(s) returned, excluding
shipping cost. In short, if you do not like
the shells we have selected for any reason,
you can send them back for a full refund or
exchange if you wish.
Can you buy / value my shell collection?
Yes, we buy (and sell) complete collections successfully
on a regular basis. We can put you in touch with collectors who
successfully sold collections to us previously.
You can use our publicly listed pricing to help you get some idea of the
potential value of the seashell
species in your collection. Note that individual condition
of your shells (Grading) and
the accuracy of your shell data (Labels) will determine the
value for each item. To evaluate grading and condition,
you may need some professional advice, especially if
your collection is large. We welcome all queries, so by
all means please email us!
In the
meantime please take care to
keep data labels with each item to preserve value.
If you
require a professional valuation of your
collection (i.e. for insurance), please email us for
options.
Do you sell Paper Nautilus?
Yes, we offer several species of Paper Nautilus (aka
Argonauta) in our Specimen Seashells section online -
see
Cephalopoda/Nautilus pricelist for details.
If you are unsure which species you would like to order,
just google the scientific name to find out
what the species looks like. We usually have each species available
in various sizes. All pricing includes
substantial, careful packaging required for
very
fragile items to travel safely and arrive intact at your
door (incl. double-boxing) - no additional
handling charge.
How to clean Shells for Aquarium / Cooking use?
Our shells are stored in a large warehouse and to ensure
they are dust-free, we advise that you should give them
an initial clean when you receive them.
In general, always treat seashells like fine bone china:
No microwave or dishwasher use, don't drop on hard
surfaces, no sudden heating/cooling/freezing.
For a quick
clean, just scrub seashells with a soft brush, some warm
water and soap, then rinse and dry.
For a deep-clean / sterilisation, place your shells in a large pot of cold
clean water and put this to boil for about 10
minutes.
The boiling won't harm the shells, but it's important to
allow them to heat up and cool down gradually, as they
otherwise might crack.
This deep-cleaning method helps to rid the layered shell
micro-structure of any residual animal
tissue or possible traces of commercial cleaning
agents (i. e. chlorine, alcohol) and dust particles,
etc. - in one go.
How to cook with Seashells?
Other than using shell meat for seafood, you can also creatively use
empty clean seashells
(incl. Scallops, Abalone, etc.) in food presentation to
great effect.
Scallops are often used for baking or gratins (i.e. oven
/ grill), or they lend themselves beautifully for small
side dishes (i.e. sauces) for seafood platters, various
finger foods, tapas, etc.
In general, always treat seashells like fine bone china:
No microwave or dishwasher use, don't drop on hard
surfaces, no sudden heating/cooling/freezing.
Talk to us about options for food presentation, such as Deep Dish Scallop
/ White Scallop (very similar to traditional
Coquilles St. Jacques). Find out more in our
Decoshells
section! When ordering, please advise if you would like to use the
shells for cooking! We'll only select robust shells and
can trim
brittle shell lips to get them ready for your
kitchen..
How to cut Seashells?
Any tool suitable for cutting metal will generally also
work for shells; i.e. any saw / file / sandpaper that is suitable for
use with metals will also cut or sand shells.
Obviously always wear adequate protection when using
power tools. Wet the area to keep dust to a minimum
while you work, so choosing wet&dry (linen-backed) sandpaper
to use with shells (i.e.
to smooth edges) is a good idea.
How to drill Seashells?
Not all shells need drilling - for small, thin shells,
often a sharp needle / awl (i.e. attached to a handle)
may be used to simply poke a small hole (i.e. for beadwork or
jewellery).
Larger shells may need to be drilled - and it's quite
easy with the right tools.
Drilling shells yourself means you can place the hole exactly where you want it.
A small
hand-held power drill (i.e. for engraving, etc.) works
best. Un-branded ones are widely available,
along with HSS steel drill bits ( ~ 0.8 or 1mm
diameter). In general, anything that cuts metal will also
work for seashells (no diamond drills required).
TIPS: Don't
overheat the area. Drilling at low speed / pressure works best.
Moisten the drill area to reduce dust (i.e. have shallow
dish of water nearby) while you work and always wear adequate protection when using power tools.
How to paint Starfish?
Natural starfish are usually pale on the bottom and a
bit darker
on top.
If you need a particular colour for your starfish (i.e.
to match a colour theme), just spray-paint them
any colour you like. A single can of paint will cover
hundreds (or even thousands) of starfish.
Benefits of DIY painting:
- You can create exactly the right shade of colour.
- It's very quick, the whole process takes very little
time, as the starfish dry instantly.
- Painting seals all surfaces, so the starfish will be
easier to clean in future, long-term.
TIPS:
Flat (non-gloss) spray enamel paint works best - available from any hardware store.
Always wear protection / old clothing when using spray
paint and do a trial run first! Spread newspaper in a wind-protected spot
outside. Spread starfish on a few sheets, upside down
initially. Paint your items very lightly, while moving the
can at approx. 30 cm distance side-to-side. Repeat to achieve the
right shade, keeping all paint layers very thin, as that
will look completely natural and will dry
in a few seconds.
Turn starfish over and repeat the process for the top & sides in
more fine layers, until you are happy with the result.
How to polish Seashells?
Sandpaper suitable for metal can be used to smooth rough
edges on a shell. Use increasingly finer grain for
sanding (i.e. from 120 to approx. 600 grain). Following that, a
rotating brush with a fine sanding paste and finally a wool buff with jeweller’s
rouge can be used to further smooth and then polish your shell
surface (all tools widely available at hardware stores).
Always wear protection when using power tools and rest
the material frequently to keep it from overheating.
However this is a messy process and if you have no prior experience, consider asking for
help at your local jeweller's
workshop instead. Jewellers can advise or even polish
your shells, as this falls in their traditional skill
set (i.e. polishing
mother-of-pearl for jewellery).
I want to sell my shell collection
If you have a shell collection you are thinking of
selling, we would certainly be interested in hearing
about it! We regularly buy complete collections from around
Australia. Even if we're
not interested, we may be able to refer you to someone
local (we know most collectors around Australia), so just
send us an email for advice and options!
How to store a shell collection?
Seashells consist of ~ 98% of calcium carbonate, which
is vulnerable to acid / acidic environments, so we recommend metal cabinets
(not timber) for long term
storage. Museums around the world use metal storage for
Natural History collections to avoid many potential
problems associated with other materials. Shiny shells
(i.e. Cowries) with very thin nacre layers
are especially vulnerable to acidic environments, but other seashells will
also suffer and degrade if exposed to acidity (i.e. in
timber cabinets). A
controlled (low) humidity helps to lower the risk, but as seashells naturally contain traces of moisture in
their molecular structure, it's not a good idea to dry
them out too much. Best advice: Store seashells acid-free,
meaning: Do not use timber cabinets!
Separation: Seashells tend to roll around when
stored loosely in drawers. They easily get scratched and
so need to be kept from moving around. We recommend:
- Boxes inside drawers (acid-free paper/board, otherwise
plastic).
- Long-life PU anti-skid matting to line drawers (Note:
Do not use PU foam, which degrades over time).
- Plastic dividers to create sections.
A combination of the above will accommodate a very wide
range of shell sizes. Maintenance:
Take a critical look at your collection: Remove and
discard all organic packaging or storage material, such
as cotton wool (incl. from opercs), old matchboxes,
cardboard, etc. All those materials are acidic to some
degree,
but can be replaced with acid-free alternatives; even data
labels can be printed on acid-free paper! It
won't hurt to give your shells a gentle
warm wash with clear water occasionally. Let them dry completely before re-homing them.
You can use a little paraffin oil (i.e. baby oil) to
replace lost moisture on many dull shells (brings
back faded colour / pattern), but don't use it on naturally
shiny shells like Cowries (Cypraeidae) or Olividae.
Any queries, please email us!
How are seashells packed for shipping?
We box all shipments inside your Service satchel prior
to shipping.
Very fragile items (i.e. Nautilus) may be double-boxed,
also depending on the other items they are shipped with.
We always aim to use recycled / recyclable materials for shipping
where possible (cardboard, paper, bio-degradeable foam
beads, etc.).
Shells other than bulk items are individually wrapped
and padded to protect potentially fragile areas;
starfish are usually packed flat between paper layers.
Handling seashells and starfish for packaging takes time
and care (not unlike packing glass or china items).
As we are including packaging cost in our item pricing,
there is no additional handling surcharge when you
order. All quoted shipping costs represent delivery
charges paid to 3rd party providers (i.e. Australia
Post) - we don't charge additional fees.
What is a 'Decoshell'?
See here:
Decoration
What's a 'Specimen Seashell' and a
"Scientific Data Label'?
See here:
Collecting
What is 'Specimen Seashell Grading'?
Selected Seashells for Collectors are individually
graded to
International Grading Terms for worldwide
trading.
Why don't we photograph Specimen Seashells?
We are offering all Specimen Seashells in
category listings online. Each category may contain many
hundreds of individual shells, so unfortunately we can't possibly
photograph every single item for you!
We are a primary source for many other
dealers, who purchase from us in bulk by using our careful and
accurate category descriptions. We offer discounts
based on order volume, and usually will include
additional gifts if you order multiple QTY per species.
We aim to keep our prices low
and affordable for everyone and also sell directly to the public.
All you need to order from us is some
basic information to help you identify which species you
would like to order. You can then simply order from our Specimen Shells
listings by scientific name and description. You are
welcome to add your comments or special requests. We will send you an
offer incl. description / grading / price. If you do not
like the specimen we send you, you can return it - we
offer a
Money-back-Guarantee for all
our Specimen Shells!
Are Cone Shells dangerous? Yes and no
- a dead Cone Shell won't hurt you - but a living Cone
sure can! The animal can
retract and hide in the shell, so if you pick up
a Cone Shell underwater or on the beach, it's often
difficult to tell
if it's still alive or not. Cones are predators hunting marine worms and small
fish by shooting a hollow radula dart loaded with toxin
at their prey. If they inject a human by mistake, this can cause a serious allergic reaction. Worse, some of the
prettiest living Cones have toxins that are potentially
lethal to humans - see here: wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_snail
So, yes - some Cones could potentially kill you! Better not
pick up any Cone Shell in the wild; just leave them alone!
See our
Pinterest Board for 'Seashells & Science'
for more info on Cone Shell Toxins and why they have
scientists around the world so excited..
Other queries?
Please email us!
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