Andrew,

I have seen recently a single 2 foot wide valve with a price tag of
$1200, which frankly surprised me.  It was at a prominent Los Angeles
furniture store.  It seems that Tridacna shells are prized by interior
designers and landscape architects.

Funny enough, last week at Fashion Island, one of Southern California's
most exclusive shopping centers, I saw a valve integrated as part of a
storefront display.  I went inside interested to see whether I could nab
the item at a cheap price and was astonished to find that it was an
excellent (and I mean perfect) papier-mâché replica!

Considering that these shells are now actively grown in Tridacna farms
in the Indo-Pacific, it is interesting that they are not more available
despite CITES.

Regards,

Scott Jordan

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists of America List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Andrew Grebneff
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 4:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Value of LARGE Tridacna gigas valve?

Hi all

Just had a request passed on to me by the local museum.

Someone had a single valve, over a meter long (a meter is 3.5'),
which had been kept outside for years. it has just been stolen, and
he wants to claim insurance.

Anyone have any idea what such an item would be worth? It is a curio,
not a scientific specimen, obviously.