At 01:27 22/01/99 +0000, you wrote:
>I need advise from the experienced collectors on Conch-L before I do any
>more damage...
>
>I am cleaing a number of specimens of Conus ebraeus that I collected in
>Hawaii this past month.  They came home frozen and were thawed and put
>in full strength bleach to remove calcareous deposits etc.- a method
>that has worked fairly well on other shells.  Once cleaned these cones
>have a definite pink cast to them!  Since I can't find any reference to
>pink and black C. ebraeus, I have to assume that, somehow, I'm
>responsible.
>
>What did I do wrong?
>
>Thanks in advance for the help,
>
>Phil Liff-Grieff
>La Crescenta, CA
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Dear Phil:
 
        I collected Conus ebraeus in Mauritius last summer and I did the
same treatment. The pinkinsh shade I believe is real, but in the natural
state the periostracum gives this cone an overall dirty yellow appearance
with black square spots. This means that the pink shade is not caused by the
bleach, which just dissolve the periostracum and eventually softens
calcareous deposits and other marine debris. It is also likely that the
pinkinsh color will fade with time, leaving a white colored background.
 
                                        Manuel Jimenez Tenorio