Hello Halim,

Yes, there are occasional albinistic specimens of Nautilus pompilius.  They
are extremely rare.  I believe such a specimen was offered at  the
Conchologists of American convention a couple of years ago, either as a
raffle prize or an auction item???


Here is my take on the shell grading system.  These descriptions are not
"official", but they work for me, and I feel that they accurately reflect
the intended purpose of the system.  I am open to other opinions:

"gem" - a specimen with no flaws detectable by the unaided eye

"fine plus plus" (f++) - a minute flaw, difficult to detect, even on close
inspection

"fine plus" (f+) - one or two small flaws, not readily noticeable except on
close inspection

"fine" (f) - one or two significant flaws, noticeable on casual inspection,
which do not greatly compromise the scientific or aesthetic value of the
specimen

"good" - major flaws, but still showing the principle identifying
characteristics of the species


"Gem" is usually described simply as "flawless", but I prefer to describe it
as above (pardon my compulsion for accuracy - I'm a scientist).  In my
humble opinion, an absolutely perfect shell is an extreme rarity.  Give me
your best "gem" cowrie and a good 50-power microscope, and I'll find a few
flaws for you.  But such microscopic imperfections do not require that a
shell be downgraded from "gem".

Some dealers list shells as "fine+++" or "fine++++" or "fine
++++++++++++++++", to indicate a specimen that is virtually - but not QUITE
- gem.  I suppose this is warranted in some cases, though generally
speaking, I think the use of extra "+" signs just confuses the issue.
Others use "gem-" (gem minus) for the same purpose, or simply describe the
specimen as "near gem".  To my way of thinking, "fine++" is supposed to mean
"near gem", so I usually just stick to the basic categories listed above.

I base grading on both the severity and the number of visible flaws.  A
shell with one minute flaw would be fine++.  A shell with a more significant
flaw would be downgraded to fine+.  But a shell with several minute flaws,
as severe as the flaw on the fine++ specimen, would also be downgraded to
fine+.

Paul M.