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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 436674, member: 5833&quot;]Not to soak them in what?&nbsp; If you can easily find a link or 2 giving that info. I&#039;d like to see.&nbsp; These all used to live in salt water, 24/7.&nbsp; I have soaked many, many shell pieces with no detectable ill result.&nbsp; Info given by museum curatorial sources tend to be super-super cautious.&nbsp; They&#039;re acting in a fiduciary position, with the responsibility of preserving every last molecule of material for future generations.&nbsp; Most of us are not.&nbsp; I asked a shell collector/dealer once about what people in her field do &amp; she said absolutely give them a good soak periodically.&nbsp; She also advocated oiling them (whole shells), which some people do with cameos too.&nbsp; I choose not to; it is skin oils holding most of the grime they arrive with.&nbsp; It does not harm them, but will become dingy &amp; has to be redone every so often.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The flippant answer is, they look different.&nbsp; Helmet shell cameos have a background layer ranging from bright orange to dark brown to taupe.&nbsp; They always use the white layer for the figure, never the other way round.&nbsp; Some have a background layer thinner than a fingernail; some are so thick they can be mistaken for stone; most are somewhere in between.&nbsp; Nearly all have some degree of curvature.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conch shell pieces have one layer that is anywhere from bright pink to a shade so pale it is virtually white.&nbsp; Most often cut as a white figure on a pink ground, it is sometimes cut the other way around.&nbsp; It is frequently confused with pink, &#039;angel skin&#039; coral.&nbsp; Conch shell pieces are thicker &amp; heavier than helmet shell and the back can be quite flat.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you go back through the pages of this thread you will see many examples of each type.&nbsp; You may also want to browse through this:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/materials-guide" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/materials-guide" rel="nofollow">https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/materials-guide</a></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":writer:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie92" alt=":turtle:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie49" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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