Art,
It is the intersection of 'pretty shell' collectors and professional
malacologists that enrich both sides.  That edge is found in museum
collections and right here on ConchL.
Allen

On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 17:05:31 -0400 [log in to unmask] writes:
> Dear Charlie;-
>     Most collectors and displayers don't do shells in a museum
> sense. They (we) put out our pretty shells so people who come to
> visit will say" Aint them purty!!"
>    What we do to  make them look purty is shine-em-up. We use
> mineral oil, glycerin, spit, and etc. to make 'em look purty. Look
> at it this way: If shells were ugly---who'd collect or be
> interested. How many people do you know who take pride in their
> collection of banana slugs?
>       Art
>
> --
> PLEASE NOTE: My new, long-term, and correct email address is:
> [log in to unmask] Please update your records!
>
> ---- Charles F Sturm <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Matt and Conch-l'ers,
> >
> > I agree with the general techniques that folks have been writing
> about
> > regarding using mineral oil or silicon oil for adding gloss back
> to a dull
> > shell. I agree with avoiding animal and vegetable based oils as
> they
> > become rancid over time. However, I would like to ask the
> question
> > differently, "Why oil shells?" Why do we need to have every shell
> appear
> > glossy? I would argue that in doing this we are losing information
> and
> > possibly contaminating specimens.
> >
> > I collect fossil mollusks for the most part and I never add a
> surface
> > protectant to them. I will soak some of them in a consolidant
> (Butvar 76
> > in acetone) if they are very friable. I note such treatment on the
> labels
> > accompanying these specimens.
> >
> > I rarely collect live material; most of my self-collected Recent
> shells
> > are freshly dead or specimens that have been banging around for a
> while in
> > the surf. To me the dullness of the shells is an indicator of
> postmortem
> > changes. This is information that I do not want to lose. Also, if
> someone
> > would ever want to use one of these specimens for destructive
> testing
> > (i.e. chemical analysis) a treatment with oil might very well make
> such an
> > analysis meaningless. At the Carnegie Museum, we occasionally
> receive a
> > request for a specimen that may be 50-100 years old so that such
> analyses
> > can be done and compared to the chemical composition of Recent
> shells.
> >
> > Some will say that you have to prep the shells to preserve the
> > periostracum (for instance in Unionoida). This can also be
> accomplished by
> > carefully controlling the temperature and relative humidity of the
> space
> > where one stores a collection.
> >
> > So in the end I pose the question, "Can we only appreciate shells
> if they
> > are glossy, or can we save time and leave them as they came from
> their
> > environment?" One possible alternative that may satisfy both camps
> is to
> > treat some (maybe for a display) and store a few others
> (untreated) for
> > posterity in a zip-lock bag.
> >
> > While this question is rhetorical and posed to have us think
> about
> > alternatives to how we do things, I would also be interested in
> reading
> > others thoughts on this subject.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Charlie
> >
>
*************************************************************************
*****
> > Charlie Sturm, Jr
> > Research Associate - Section of Mollusks
> >                       Carnegie Museum of Natural History
> >                      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
> >
> > Assistant Professor - Family Medicine
> >
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
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