The Green Turban Shell

This green turban shell belonged to my parents but, unlike many of the items I inherited from them, my mother left no record of its story on the lists she made of her belongings.

I don't remember seeing these shells amongst the many that were available for sale in Mombasa so I think it's most likely that it came from Zanzibar. At some point a hole was drilled into the last whorl and a bulb inserted.

Green turban shells, Turbo marmoratus, are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. They feed at night on reef flats at depths below twenty metres, foraging amongst the rubble for the algae on which they feed. They're large shells, this one being about 160mm in diameter, and heavy. When alive, the shell has an operculum - a 'lid' - which the snail uses to close the aperture - opening - when the animal is disturbed and withdraws into its shell.

The green turban is hunted for its mother-of-pearl which is used in the manufacture of buttons and as inlay material for lacquerware and furniture, for jewellery, and for the shell trade. However, its biggest problem is that it is good to eat - its meat forms an important part of the diet of local communities.

In this case the shell was turned into a lamp which is lovely when it's switched on. The trouble is that it's the sort of ornament that is rarely used.