-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Monfils <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, January 04, 2002 8:55 PM
Subject: Re: Epitonium rugosum


>A real shell will be "hollow" all the way to the apex.  A fake will only
>be hollow for a whorl or two, with most of the spire filled solid. I
>wonder if the shell is sufficiently translucent to check this using
>bright backlighting, rather than x-ray?  This is one reason I was
>wondering what they are made of.  It must be something pretty
>lightweight.  Otherwise the weight of the solid specimen would be a dead
giveaway.
>
>Paul M.

Again on the rugosum.....somewhere in the dim and distant past we have heard
that if you take a hot needle and try to penetrate the surface...( somewhere
it doesnt show of course), if it smells like feathers its probably real...if
it smells like plastic...it aint....maybe even a petroleum odor...We think
its made of some acrylic...but I am not into acrylics...Mique....