Members Only

Check out these beautiful junonia shells found by our readers.

Finding my first junonia (above) was one of the happiest days of my life. I had in my mind that once I found one that I would be complete…but instead it made me thirsty to find more. This was the very first one I found in December 2018 in the Ten Thousand Islands. ~Amanda Collett

I found my first junonia (above) during my first shelling tour in Spring 2017. We hit Second Chance sandbar south of Cape Romano only to see a tent invasion and army of shellers. My girlfriend and I looked at each other and yelled, “We’ll never find a junonia!” As we walked around the Southwest corner by the infamous log, we both spotted the spots at the same time. There, at the high wrack, it called, “Come get me!” ~Rodie Kaiser

At left is my baby junonia. I found it at Panama City Beach, Florida, after the 2017 Beach renourishment, along with many other junonia pieces. ~Susan Sellers Johnson

I first found an imperfect junonia (above far left) almost completely buried on the beach, except for a one-inch piece of it that was exposed. I was on a trip with a shell touring company in the Ten Thousand Islands. I was so excited to find a little piece. I went to dig it up, but it was not a piece—lo and behold, it was whole. I started screaming, “Junonia, junonia!”

On another beach trip, my husband and I were shelling at Lover’s Key in Florida. He always asks me what I want before we go our separate ways shelling, as he generally shells out in the water. I answered as I usually do: “A junonia with dark spots.” A while later, he came up to me with his hand behind his back and told me to guess what he had. I asked, “What?” He opened his hand and produced a dark-spotted junonia (above right). I couldn’t speak.

The junonia was dirty and had barnacles attached to it. I didn’t really know how good shape it was in, and I was worried about removing the barnacles. I submerged it in a weak bleach and water bath, checked it every few minutes, and in about a half hour the shell was pristine. My husband and I now have six junonias, but this one is the prize shell in the collection. ~Vikki Simpson

I am a sheller from North Carolina. My 12-year-old son Miller (above right) has a great junonia story. He has autism and Tourette’s syndrome, and his tic disorder is difficult to live with. He must homeschool, and he has had several hospitalizations. One of the only places where he gets relaxed enough to stop ticking is on the beach, so we go as often as we can.

He found this amazing junonia (above left) on Keewaydin Island, Florida, in January 2021. I was on down the beach, but as soon as I heard him scream, “Mama! Mama! Mama!” I knew exactly what he had found. I was so proud that he not only found it but that he could properly identify it. I think maybe heaven gave me this boy with these needs because they knew I was going to be on the beach—just where he needs to be. ~Dr. Ashley Oliphant

~Cathy Doucet

I moved from New Jersey to Fort Myers, Florida, in 1989. My first shelling adventures were in the low tide mud flats located at the foot of the Sanibel bridge, in Punta Rassa. I found the awesome shell (above left) before I even knew it was a highly desired collectible. It has been one of my most prized possessions ever since. I was extremely lucky to find a second junonia (above right) in 2013 at Bunche Beach in Fort Myers, Florida. I was walking along the water’s edge when I saw it rolling in the shallow water. It has definitely seen many days in the sun and sand, but it still has a special place in my collection. ~Lisa Foy

My husband and I found partial junonia shells (below) last year on the Gulf Coast of Florida, one on Marco Island and the other on Venice Beach. We are going back to Marco Island and Sanibel and we’re always hopeful there is one out there just waiting for us to find it! ~Carol Polakowski

~Amanda Baker

Many years ago I got a tip on a wooden crate (above) full of shells for sale at a local shop. I bought it and sorted out some shells to keep that looked unlike those I was able to collect myself. I then used the rest for different crafts over the years. I hadn’t done anything with the crate for years, and recently I decided that I needed to move it. To my surprise, I spotted a brown-dotted, light-colored shell: I had a coveted junonia shell. It’s not perfect and I will gift it to someone, but finding it made my husband and me laugh. ~Gina Olkowski

I was visiting the beach outside Tampa Bay, Florida, after a series of storms and the shelling was really good. I was finding a great variety of nice shells when I noticed a pattern that stood out to me. I picked it up and was disappointed that it was only a portion of shell (above) that was pretty beat up, but then it dawned on me that it was from a junonia, and my disappointment melted away. Normally these shells are at home in very deep water—about 90 to 400 feet deep—which means they rarely wash up on the shoreline. Right before my vacation ended, I found another partial shell, this time the tip of the shell. These are my first junonia finds and even though they’re partials, I’m still thrilled. ~Cindy Bilbao

My friend Caitlin Schwab found this beautiful junonia shell (left) recently. This one had a ton of barnacles on it and she had to clean them off carefully to get this beautiful result! ~Sarah Rosenbaum

I had found pieces of junonia shells but never a whole shell. Then, in March 2020, we were in Sanibel for the Shell Show. I finally found a whole shell (above) at sunrise at Lighthouse Beach in Sanibel. I took the shell back with me to Sanibel (right) as a good luck charm that day. It now sits in a frame on my shell table. ~Kim White

~Kristen Williams

~Jaime Sawczyn

I found these junonia shells (left and above) in southwest Florida during negative low tides. The one at left was in knee deep water in Keewaydin, and the one above was in the surf on Shell Island. ~Shawna Code

Learn more about seashells

Learn more about identifying shells, the history of seashell collecting, great shelling beaches, and the lives of the animals who make the shells we find on the beach. Articles ›

No live shelling: Be sure shells are empty and sand dollars, sea stars, and sea urchins are no longer alive before you bring them home.