>Does anyone have ideas on preserving the pink color of the Queen Conch on
>the inside?

Hi Mike,

Sadly, even keeping them in a closet does not keep them from fading. I found
a gorgeous specimen with a cadmium yellow lip and aperture with just a tiny
trace of pink near Grand Bahama. That was June 2000. Now, less than three
years later there is no hint of yellow and the pink is very subtle.
My sister-in-law
took a shocking pink Queen from Abaco just last August and she says she can
already see it fading. Perhaps there is a trick, but if so, I am unaware of it.

This can also be seen in other species. For example, when I was offloading
scallop boats in 1998-99, many Argopecten gibbus came up with a flush of
pink on the lower valve. I was quite excited, as I had never seen this in any
collections. To my dismay, as soon as the shell was clean, the pink vanished.
I had one shell out of hundreds that still has a tiny bit of pink
left. Many collectors
have also noted that Cassis tuberosa often has a purplish tinge to the parietal
shield. We saw that in many specimens from Abaco, but once cleaned, within
a month or two (often less) the purple -- or violet, depending on
your definition
-- is reduced to almost nothing. For the time being, I have to content myself
with photos of these beauties fresh from the sea.

Best regards,
Jim

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