Celso started collecting shells on a trip to Patagonia
with his wife. They went to Isla Navarino in the Beagle Channel and
took a walk on the beach, which was covered with shells.
They liked the experience so much that they brought some home,
and kept collecting more during subsequent trips. Their friends,
knowing of this new hobby, also started bringing shells from abroad
to increase their collection. One of those friends found an edition
of the Compendium of Seashells on a trip and gave it to Celso so
that he could start identifying his material. By then, the shells
were properly displayed in a showcase but without names on them.
Since he was getting more and more shells, he decided to exchange
shells with other collectors, and in 2000 he joined Conquiliologistas
do Brasil (Brazilian shell club).
Today he has about 2,500 different species in his collection, all
marine, and nowadays concentrates his efforts to obtain new Brazilian
species.
