[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

Dont know bout conch shells but never bring lava back from Hawaii.

Wachoota, are those copyrighted lyrics?
I heard that too about the lava. And we did not bring any back.
I can't find too much info about conchs and bad luck.
Just conchs and *good* luck.

[wacahootaman]

Donno if they are copywrigted.

Here is where I found them. Didnt say

Bobby Pinson - Don't Ask Me How I Know Lyrics

[mainship]

Now you tell me, they're bad luck, maybe that is why we see so many of them decorating old grave sites and is probably the reason my HO insurance was cancelled.

[Florida Impressions]

I've collected queen conch in the Bahamas as well. Usually the shells on mature conch have quite a bit of algae on the outside, which has to be scrubbed off the shell when it dries. The shells are more of a peach color on the outside when it's fresh, and then eventually they fade to white. The inside of the shell is quite vibrant, and they also fade over time. Here is a shot I took of a fresh batch of conch, after a good day of freediving.



You can see the colors, as well as the algae on the side. We had conch salad, cracked conch, conch fritters and conch chowder for weeks!

Oh, and I've had a shell on my bookcase for a few years now. Keeping them indoors helps preserve the colors.

[justme1702]

WOW, those are really colorful inside!!

[jhlcomp]

Originally Posted by justme1702

Hi all, I just read in a book that conch shells bring good luck, but that it is bad luck to bring them inside your house. Which might explain the times that I've seen them in rock gardens and landscaping. I don't really consider myself a superstitious person, but.....I thought I'd ask anyway.

Also, the conch shells that I have seen are white with the pinkish/salmon color inside, are there other colors too?? I have some that are shaped the same as a conch, but they are not white. They are a variety of colors with really cool color banding.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

The only time it's bad to bring a conch into your house is if the animal is still inside ... but kidding aside - this is a new one for me. Enjoy your shells whether inside or out.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by jhlcomp

The only time it's bad to bring a conch into your house is if the animal is still inside ... .

I did this once (by accident!) It was not a conch, it was a much smaller Scotch bonnet, with a hermit crab inside. I took him back to the bay and let him go.

Those are beautiful, Florida Impressions.

[justme1702]

That would be bad if the conch or any other critter were still inside.

[Ladywithafan]

I use mine indoors to burn my incense sticks...but I acquired it from my Xhusband...

I did break a mirror seven years ago...and I do believe that seven years to the date, this year, I've got my ju ju back where it belongs. I broke that d*mn mirror into a million pieces and my life totally went to pieces after the fact.

Did I mention that after I arrive at home this evening, I'm not driving anywhere?

I'm just gonna burn a lot of incense in that conch shell!

[Conch Shell Horn]

Blue Willow Plate,

Bottom line is as long as the Shell is Dead, "No Live Animal inside", it is ok to take Conch Shell from the Beaches in Florida. The Florida Law is below word for word. Cheers!

Florida Regulation #68B-16.003, paragraph (5). "It is not unlawful for any person to take or possess queen conch shells from the land or waters of the State of Florida, so long as such shells do not contain any living queen conch at the time of taking, and so long as a living queen conch is not killed, mutilated, or removed from its shell prior to taking such shell; provided further, that possession by any person, while in or on the waters of the State of Florida, of conch meat or of any queen conch shell having an off-centered hole larger than 1/16 inch in diameter through its spire shall constitute a violation of this chapter. "

It's a good idea to carry a copy of this law with you at all times when Shell Hunting, because the Florida Marine Patrol don't know the law any more than the average shell collector. So you now can have a beautiful collection of Conch Shells to take back home next time you hit the Florida Beaches.

Scott with The TravelAmigos
[url]www.conchshellhorn.com]Conch[/url] Shell Horn