Purple Sea Snail

Basic Information

Anatomy

There are several varieties of snail responsible for the dye. The redmouth snail has an elongate shell with thin spiraling lines. These snails come in numerous colors, such as yellow, light gray, tan, which is dotted with brown, orange, and gray. Another is the banded snail, which has a conical shell. The banded snails have light or dark brown, red-orange, and purple shells striated with dark bands. The purple dye snail, meanwhile, has a light gold-colored shell with a round top ending in a long point. While other kinds of mollusk can produce the prized dye, the above varieties are the most common.

Ecology and Habitats

All of these snails live in warm and relatively shallow waters. They are easily harvested and relocated to breeding pools. Many cities have massive, clay-walled structures with dirt bottoms connected to the sea. They are many times the height of a man and cover the same areas as large villages. Numerous other sea creatures can swim inside, providing food for the breeding snails. After each breeding season, some of the snails are removed and crushed to make the dye. The rest remain to reproduce until the next year, during which the process repeats.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The term purple sea snail refers to several varieties, all valued for purple dye production. Depending on the location and the snails crushed, the finished products could be numerous shades of purple, blue, or even red. They are the most expensive pigments in the world, producing the most valuable cloth. Some types of purple fetch their weight in gold. The price comes from the sheer number of snails that need to be crushed to get a sizable dye quantity. About a thousand are required in order to dye one cloak. While purple is most expensive, blue is a close second, followed by red. Garments that are colored with Royal Purple last a long time without the colors fading. Some clothing lasts two centuries or more without the color diminishing, the fabric often ripping first.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

All of these snails are found throughout the Inland Sea.