Specimen Seashell Basics

Specimen Shells are everywhere.  You can win them on Ebay. You can buy them from Specimen Shell dealers and shops. You can collect them all over the world. What you need to know is that all shells are NOT considered Specimen Shells.  For any shell to be considered to be a specimen shell a shell needs to have the following:

1. The specimen MUST have collection information. This information can be BASIC with only the name of the country, ocean or general locale.  Shells listed with "ranges" are not specimen. COMPLETE Collection information includes the following: Depth of water, how collected, substrate for Freshwater and Marine, specific locality including name of nearest city, town and the name of the country. Often included is the tide, time of day and date collected along with the name of the collector. 

2. Specimen Shells should not be altered by Acid or any other substance that makes the shell less natural.  A light amount of mineral (baby) oil can be applied to the specimen for preservative of the shell and periostracum if present. Cleaning should be careful and leave the shell without damage.

3. Specimen shells do NOT have to be of any particular quality but the better the quality the more desirable the specimen. 

QUALITY STANDARDS THAT YOU WILL ENCOUNTER

The following is a list of quality listings and what they should mean:

1. GEM - A Gem specimen is "flawless" and should exhibit not even minor "Flaws". There should be NO  fading, or changes in pattern. If there is any flaw the shell is reduced below what is required to be GEM. Truly Gem Specimens are VERY RARE in most shells.  Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder prefection is also and flaws can be found even on "Gem" specimens.

2. FINE+ - A Fine+ specimen is a specimen that would otherwise be considered to be gem except for the presence of a minor "flaw". This could be some minor discoloration, growth mend, minor scratches, and the like. Any more than 1 or 2 of these very minor "problems" and the specimen should only be considered to be in Fine condition.  Most quality specimens can be considered Fine+ rather than Gem.

3. FINE - A Fine specimen has noticeable flaws or growth mends. Major flaws or growth mends, chips and the like will make the specimen less than Fine. Also inportant in this grading is the lifestyle of the animal. If the animal in question is a predator and uses it's shell to eat, the shell could have natural damage but must not be major breakage.

3. Good, Fair, Poor - This type of specimen should be only considered to be a "representative" of the species. This is an acceptable grade for a lower priced "Rare" species.  Because less rare species are more available in Fine to Gem specimens this Grade should be avoided for a quality scientific collection.

4. COMMERICAL Grade- Thes shells are NOT to be considered to be specimen shells.  These shells will usually be acid treated, broken and without collection information. This is not to say that this type of shell cannot be collected for their beauty.

For any other Guidance on these matters make sure to contact me at Callcove. Be assured that I have been a serious collector for over 40 years. I have collected in many areas of the world and the United States. I can also help you identify shells, if you need help. 

Sincerely,

John Brandyberry, Callcove