Volutidae

[paul monfils]

Yes, some of the shells you have posted, including this volute, do look quite faded. The commonest cause of this is beach-collected shells that have been rolled around in the sand by ocean waves, reducing their gloss, and bleached by bright sunlight. However, some shells, like this volute, live in fairly deep water and are not too likely to be found on the beach. Sometimes hermit crabs pick them up and carry them into shallower water where they can be deposited on the beach. Also, shells from very old collections are often faded if they have not been protected from light, even if they were brightly colored when first collected.