In the pristine waters north of Broome in Western Australia, lives a snail with a highly valuable shell. It's called a trochus shell, and its mother of pearl qualities have been treasured for ...

The trochus or top shell is a marine rhipidoglossate mollusk with a multispiral operculum. Its shell is a simple cone and snail-wise it carries it on its back as it moves slowly along in shallow ...

A diver for trochus shells holds the latest catch, which when dipped in sulphuric acid has a shine. Inside is a layer of mother of pearl, which makes the shells perfect for turning into buttons.( ...