On the other hand: I personally have collected live Nassariids here in
Europe, which, due to the blue clay in which they live, look fossil to
the eye (blue colored shell with a 'fossil' look) but are really recent
and fresh.

So indeed things can be:

- looking fossil, but in reality recent (even fresh and/or with live
animal).
- looking fossil, but no remineralization has taken place (would this be
perhaps a first step in defining the term subfossil?
- looking fossil, remineralization has taken place (shells are no longer
translucent). In my book these are classic 'fossils'.

Age by the way is indeed a difficult criterium since the speed of
fossilization is related to the matrix in which the shells are embedded.

These are my 2c for now, Erick

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