There have been a lot of recent finds of very ancient Nassaria shells, used as beads: http://www.coconutstudio.com/Oldest%20Shell%20Beads.htm to this: http://averyremoteperiodindeed.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-pierced-shells- from-grotte-des.html http://tinyurl.com/6do7vn I think it's possibly because the 'mouth' parts of these shells show sexual connotations, like cowries (also used very widely for beads). Can anyone enlighten me? regards Richard ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------