After entering the water, the beach on the seabed was filled with dense flounders.
When Fang Youqun and his friends saw the flounder, they danced with joy. They picked up one when they saw one, and soon filled a net bag and swam to the surface.
Xiang Yang looked around carefully for a larger flounder, but he didn't find any. Instead, he saw a strange snail shell that looked like an abalone not far from him.
The snail shell is dark gray and is not even as big as half of Xiang Yang's palm. There are milky white stripes on the shell, and it looks very thick.
Xiang Yang picked up the snail shell and looked inside it. He immediately saw irregular protrusions inside the shell, which looked like gold ingots.
Seeing this, Xiang Yang suddenly became excited. He had already recognized the true identity of this snail shell.
One of the four famous snails, the Conch!
The shell of the conch belongs to the family of the gastropod family and is one of the four famous snails. The shell of the conch is thick and heavy, with a low spiral tower, a large shell mouth, everted lips, and a moderate oval shape.
The conch shell in Xiang Yang's hand looks gray with milky white stripes from a distance, but in fact its overall color is a crisscross of reddish brown, coffee, yellow and white.
The most precious thing is that the conch shell held in Xiang Yang's hand has uniform color overall, smooth and warm feel, noble and gorgeous, and combines the functions of collection, appreciation and decoration in one. It is simply charming and beautiful beyond words.
Unfortunately, this conch was dead, leaving only an empty shell. Xiang Yang shook his head. How great would it be if this was a living conch
The conch has extremely strong vitality, and people living by the sea regard it as a symbol of health and longevity. People who grow up by the sea like to give conchs to relatives and friends during festivals to express their blessings. Xiang Yang also grew up by the sea, so naturally he also has this special preference.
However, it was still quite strange to find a conch shell in the Qinglongwan waters. Xiang Yang looked around in confusion. As far as he knew, the conchs were mainly produced around the coral reefs in the tropical seas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and in the northeastern waters of southern my country. They like warmth and feed on tiny seaweed, marine plankton and organic debris.
"The snail shell is also a treasure." Xiang Yang looked around for a while and immediately put the conch into the net bag and hid it. There is a folk saying that collecting conchs at home can bring wealth and treasure, so its audience is actually very wide, and many people like to collect conchs.
After putting away the conch, Xiang Yang immediately thought about whether there were other conches in the sea. He swam very fast, searching carefully one position after another.
Today, the conch is really rare. There is a very big conch placed at the entrance gate of Yangcheng Ocean Park. The placement of the conch is very particular. Yangcheng Ocean Park places the lips of the conch facing the gate, which means welcoming noble people and treasures. I heard that it was placed by a master, and the placement fee alone cost hundreds of thousands.
However, living conchs are rare, but dead conch shells are still common.
In some high-end ornamental fish markets, there are some conch lovers who like to put conches into fish tanks. The conch has an extremely gorgeous color and looks like a huge red jewel when placed in the fish tank, and it often overshadows other decorations in the fish tank.
In addition, the conch has the largest value span among the four famous snails.
The conch is not like the Phoenix shell, which is valuable just as long as it is a Phoenix shell, nor is it like the Nautilus, which is priceless as long as it is preserved intact.
There are also cheap conches, and there are many factors that affect the price of conches.
The first decisive factor is the appearance of the conch.
The appearance of the conch is divided into many levels. The conch picked up by Xiang Yang has thick lips, bright colors, moderate oval shape, and smooth surface. It can be regarded as a treasure among conchs.
The second thing is to look at the size.
The bigger the conch is, the rarer it is. Most of the conchs sold on the market are 8-15 cm in size. The ones that are 14 and 15 cm in size are more expensive and have more collection value. As for those that are larger than 15 cm? They are all rare conchs and will never be circulated on the market. Once someone wants to ship them, they will be bought within the day the news is announced.
The conch in Xiang Yang's hand is only half the size of his palm, about eight centimeters, which is considered to be a very small conch.
However, although the conch that Xiang Yang picked up was small, it was not light at all because its shell was really thick.
Weight is also one of the determining factors in evaluating a conch. The conch to be collected should not be too light. Those that feel light when held in the fingers are relatively inferior. Just like an underdeveloped human body, the conch lacks nutrition during its growth process. Conches that are too light are not very popular among collectors.
In addition, the conch is a natural elf of the sea. Since it is born naturally, it is inevitable that it will be worn out. If there are traces or scratches of seawater corrosion on the surface of the conch, its collection value will be much smaller.
The conch in Xiang Yang's hand is almost perfect for collection, but because of its small size, it probably wouldn't fetch much money if it were sold.
However, Xiang Yang had no intention of selling this conch.
He no longer lacks the little money he got from selling a conch, as Xiang Yang has a greater use for this conch.
People who grew up by the sea have an almost obsessive love for conch, and they generally believe that conch is the best gift.
For example, giving a conch to a lover. The best choice for giving a token of love to someone is a conch shell. Conch shells are not only precious and rare, but also heavy and solid, which is a metaphor for cherishing love. If a girl receives a conch shell from her lover, she will generally be happy for a long time.
Although Xiang Yang doesn't have a lover, it doesn't mean he doesn't need to give gifts to others.
In addition to being used as a token of love, the conch can also be given to the elderly. The bright colors of the conch have auspicious and festive connotations, and giving it to the elderly has the meaning of prolonging life.
Of course, this conch is not a gift for the elderly. Xiang's father is currently in his prime, and Xiang Yang has no grandfather.
According to Xiang Yang's idea, this conch would be a very suitable gift to Li Chao.
Last time, Li Chao unconditionally helped Xiang Yang to fill his gap of several million. If Li Chao put the money in the bank, he could even earn some interest. Since people just lent it to Xiang Yang, how could Xiang Yang not express any gratitude at all
Moreover, because the mouth of the conch is open, it symbolizes the attraction of wealth and fortune, which can serve as encouragement and blessing for businessmen like Li Chao. And because the conch itself is so precious, it can be shown off to successful people like Li Chao.