This shell was found live in the Sea of Cortez near the city of Desemboque Mexico, about 70 miles south along the east coast of the Sea of Cortez, from Puerto Penasco.  The fishermen and panga divers collect murex for the snail meat only. They boil the shells, then throw them in the back of a pick-up truck and take them a couple of kilometers out of town and dump them in huge piles. These are not for professional collectors, as the varnish clear coating is not appealing to collectors. But if you are looking for a nice affordable large Hexaplex Radix, this is a beauty.

They come very encrusted when taken from the ocean.  See the last photo, for a comparison.  Cleaning is extremely labor intensive and dangerous.  As acid is dripped onto the outside of the shell, then dipped in water to neutralize the acid.  A hard brush is used to clean as much of the calcium buildup as possible. Then another rinse in fresh water.  I then let dry for a day and clear coat the shell.

Since these shells are F++ CLEANED condition, I clear coated this specimen with a varnish, this is for people who want specimens, but not for serious collectors, now for serious collectors I do have some cleaned shells I plan on listing.  Many shells have parasites attached such as tube worms and barnacles.  I leave these on. Again the spines appear intact and the siphon has small chip.

I have only the biggest and most complete shells, damaged due again to the panga divers and fishermen, throwing these around without any regard to the condition, as they want the meat only.

I live in Puerto Penasco, Mexico and have to go to the border town of Lukeville, AZ, U.S. to the Post Office and mail your shell, it is a 1 hour drive to the border.  I only go once a week, on Wednesdays.  Please be patient.  I will confirm your shipment every Wednesday evening when I return from my border run.