A collection of hand-held tools made from the columella (inner spiral section) of Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) shells originating from Barbados. Conch is known for its mechanical strength. Queen Conch shells were commonly used throughout the West Indies from prehistoric times as tools for everyday domestic tasks, usually in a minimally modified form or their natural state. Conch meat was an important food source and the shells were a convenient by-product. It is not known when these conch shell tools were made. They were collected by the colonial administrator, Sir Henry Hesketh Bell, in either 1882 or 1883, while he was working in the office of the Governor of Barbados.