Hi i have a experience. i collected many morum shells, the wrinkles on ther surface were very fragile when they were taking out of sea, but they became very solid after one month when they are cleaned and dried. i have the same expericnce when i collected some landsnails. i don't have scientific instrument to test it . do shells become more solid when they are dried? He Jing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------