Ross,
Any hints to discover the coated shells?
Thanks,
Paolo

At 13.46 05/04/02 +0000, you wrote:
>There has been a rather sharp increase (in my experience at least!) of
>dead cowries being coated with a very life-like plastic coating to make
>them appear live.  The plastic used has a gloss very similar to the
>normal gloss of Cypraea, so the effect can be quite convincing if the
>specimen is fresh-dead and the colors are not that faded yet.  Caveat
Emptor......
>
>>From Rainy old New Scotland,
>Ross M.
>

Paolo Giulio ALBANO
Bologna, ITALY
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Homepage: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/pgalbano/index.htm