HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE REAL LAKSHMI CONCH

[Guest guest]

Respected Shri.Richard ji,

 

Thank you very much for your mail. As you know, the

shape of Whelk is totally different than that of the

Turbinella pyrum. It is true that the diagnostic

character to differentiate in Whelk and Turbinella

pyrum is the presence of 3 to 5 pilae or ridges in the

conch cavity. However, now a days I have seen people

making making fake Valampuri from that of Whelk by

artifically pasteing three ridges made either from

plaster of Paris (POP)or by cutting and pasteing of

ridges from other normal left handed conch. People,

who only go by characters of presence of ridges in the

cavity are thus fooled. Of course, by experienced eye

one can identify the original ridges and pasted ridges

easily.

 

In conch species there is much variation, therefore I

have developed a technique to take X-Ray images of

conch. X-Ray dose rate differs from conch to conch

depending on the type of conch and quantity of

deposition of calcium compounds and of metallic

elements in conch, type of X-Ray machine and the type

of X-Ray film used. The conch pilae or ridges are like

screw threading coiling around the columella and is

clearly seen in X-Ray image. If you see X-Ray image

of the Whelk or any conch which do not show the

character of presence of pilae show plain columella.

Fake and real can easily be determined by X-Ray. In a

day or two I will send you the information of the

website in which beautiful X-Ray images of variety of

conch species have been displayed. The X-Ray image of

whelk shows plain columella, however, on internet no

X-Ray image of Valampuri is available. I am developig

a website on Valampuri and planning to keep X-Ray

images on it. However, sometimes it is difficult to

scan X-Ray images. I provide X-Ray image of the

Valampuri conch to my customers.

 

Thanking you and with personal regards,

 

Chandrashekhar Phadke