sorry to flood you, but i must agree with my erstwhile (whatever that
sobriquet actually means!!)  cusomer and colleague Mr Eichhorst, that
while the eternal search for that chimera we call "beauty", is only one
of the many possible motives for collecting molluscan exoskeletons
(shells, by any other name).  Personally, i think the artificial
assignment of objects to categories defined or limited by notions of
physical, aesthetic "beauty", is not as useful as many may think.  To
me, all natural creations are beautiful- "flaws" (or even warts!!) and
all!!  There is assuredly a form of beauty to be found in a shiny,
colorful "gem" shell, but as a scientist, i also see beauty in a lumpy,
rough, brown Buccinid , scarred but surviving, having lived a rugged
life yet thriving neverthelss (oops, this is as a "romantic"- not a
scientist!!), or in the myriad of endless patterns to be found in a
population of Neritidae or Pectinidae, or even the wonderful designs and
forms of the Cancellariids- every family has qualities to reccomend it
to someone willing to seek the particular kind of beauty they posess. I
hope that we, as a society, will continue to strive to find and
appreciate the many forms of beauty all around us, and not continue to
limit ourselves  so drastically in this honorable but too-often
misguided pursuit.
        2 o'clock and 2 diatribes in one night.  Unless i am savagely and/or
impolitely attacked for these  eruidite pearls of modest wisdom, i'll
spare you for a few days, and concentrate on trying to actuallly sell a
few of these posessors of various beauty-types!! ;))
                                                                                                        yours-for what it is worth,
                                                                                                        Ross M.