Shell Origins

[Marchflowers]

I have no idea if this is in the right place, so if not please forgive me. My logic was that I wasn't trying to find shells, just asking a question:

Where do they come from? I dont mean like, where to buy them. I mean as in...
Tapestry/banded turbos. They have intricate patterns, even pearling, but what animals were holding onto them originally? When they are collected, where are they found? Do they come from snails? It seems so fascinating that nature makes everything unique beautiful.

[JoeHermits]

The turbos come from turbo snails of the genus Turbo. They are farmed for meat in Asia, but the farmers will often sell the empty shells for extra income.


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[wodesorel]

The original shell before it is polished is extremely drab looking, and often channeled. The banding is grinding it down even further to the mother of pearl layer underneath. Those pretty colors that show up and the smooth shine is all man made!