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Currently these pictures are photos from my conch shell gallery, and not actually Black Opal necklaces Shots. They are posted as a template so you can see a very basic and easy to copy template. The links below the the top three photos are real, Leading to an ongoing chain of templates like this, but the other are "fake links", as they currently lead to nothing. They are in place to demonstrate the template format. I have also left some text in place about Conch Shells just so you can see the placement of whatever text you might choose to upload, using this template. It is to your advantage to leave some text where this paragraph is, just so your audience has something to read while the thumbnail photos are coming up. While this is not the most exciting type of page for graphic artists, It's primary function is to get information out, and that is what it does. This page can also be repeated in numerous different formats. For example each picture here is listed as a link to a jewelry category (rings, earrings, necklaces, etc). Each of those pages can also easily follow this format to display numerous products. This format winds up being basic, simple, and relatively fast loading.

Hello and Welcome to old friends and new acquaintances.

In addition to being from an ancient Species, Conches Shells are some of the oldest spiritual, musical, and communication tools on our planet. For eons they have been used to send messages, announce gatherings, open spiritual circles, honor the directions, welcome spirits, and send positive vibrations everywhere. Drawings and carvings of Conch shells pre-exist time.....(well almost) .... following their experiences in the animal world Sea Snails may transform into a plane with a different vibration....Once I found a conch shell in the ocean, already with a hole to blow. Following my natural instinct, I did and it sounded! I'm sure shells called out to our ancestors long ago just as they do today.

The evolution of the Mollusks, the phylum within which Conches are found, appears to have its genesis over 600 million years ago in the Pre-Cambrian period. The Gastropoda class, within the Mollusks phylum, contains more than 80,000 living species including our "common" garden Snails. Most of the conchs we find today had their start about 65 million years ago. For about the last Million years, Marine conch species have been decreasing.

Fossil conches, found thousands of miles from the nearest oceans, tell one story of the changes our planet has experienced. Amazingly these fossils can sometimes be made into some of our planets oldest musical instruments. Conches were used by the Mayans, the Phoenicians, and by many other sea based peoples. They continue to be used in many religious societies today. Even Tom Robbins painted contemporary conch lust fests (Skinny Legs et al, Shameless Tom R plug).

I first blew on a conch shell (conching) in the Hawaiian Isles. Since then I have always kept my eyes open for unusual, large, and rare shells. When I find a shell with a live snail, I return it to the ocean. I have carved over 350 musical conches, including numerous Museum Specimen conches. In my travels I have traded for, bought, sold and traded away these shells at flea markets, shell shops, Grateful Dead Venues, Barter Fairs, and with collectors. Check out these shells from all around the world.

Some of my conchees (those who have been conched) include (in addition to all my family and friends) (caution!! shameless name dropping about to occur) Alvaro Arcu the President of Guatemala, Gaspar Caperton the Governor of West Virginia, Gloria Steinum, Mickey Hart, Vince Welnick (and all the other members of the Grateful Dead, but at a much greater distance), Bill Graham, Wavy Gravy (too many times to mention), Ken Kesey, String Cheese Incident and the Zen tricksters, (I conched for their Y2K New Years Show at the Portland Convention Center), Bob Dylan, Dennis Peron, the Mad Monks, the clan of ancient psychotherapists presenting at the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference in Vegas, and numerous others (if you feel excluded drop me a line and you too may wind up listed here)

Conching has also given me far more than my 15 minutes of fame...When I conched in the center of the CNN building, it was apparently broadcast nationwide on numerous stations, until the security guard slammed my shell into my face!...Many other media events have featured me conching including numerous TV blurbs of special events, and the "Press Democrat" Santa Rosa's major Newspaper....

I have also conched at many sacred sites on this planet, including Canyons (Grand, Barranco, and others) Mountains, Islands, Pyramids (2nd & 3rd largest in the world) archaeological sites, the temple of the Jaguar, where the carved jaguar are blowing huge conches! Valley of Fire, and just about everywhere I go....So if you see a guy with a shell, say hello......

Explore, and contact me if you seek shells, if you have shells to sell or trade, or just to increase my conchesness.