Fisherman Kept $100million Giant Pearl as a Lucky Charm in his Wooden Shack for a Decade
Five times larger than the previous world record find, this 34kg giant pearl is possibly the biggest pearl in the world.
An anonymous fisherman, discovered the priceless gem in a huge clam shell, just off the coast of Palawan Island, Philippines. The fisherman says he had no idea of the remarkable value of the gem he had stumbled upon. So he kept it as a ‘lucky charm’ in his run-down wooden home.
Ten years later, his wooden shack went up in flames, so he had to have a clear out and move properties. It was then that the fisherman decided to hand it over to a local tourism officer in Puerto Princesa who verified that it was indeed coming from a giant sea clam.
The precious rock measures a staggering 1ft wide and 2.2 ft long, dwarfing the current world’s biggest Pearl of Allah which weighs 6.4kg and is worth $35million.
According to the fisherman, while fishing during a storm, he noticed that his anchor lodged itself on a shell. He swam down, pulled up the anchor, and also brought the shell with him. Surprisingly, there was a giant pearl inside the shell, but he decided to keep it a secret.
Perhaps he had no idea how much the value of this pearl was. Otherwise he would definitely have surrendered it earlier. he just tucked it away at home as a simple lucky charm.
Official Authentication Still Needed
According to Reporter PH, the giant pearl is currently in the possession of the local government. They are waiting for authentication from the Gemologist Institute and other international authorities. Once verified, the giant pearl will go into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest pearl in the world.
City Tourism Officer Aileen Cynthia Amurao revealed that the fisherman preferred to remain anonymous. Despite that, we hope he will have a share of the enormous amount of money that museums are willing to pay for this giant pearl, and we bet many museums would love to get their hands on this piece!
It’s interesting to know that the previous record holder, the Pearl of Allah, was also found off the coast of Palawan island, way back in 1934. However it’s currently on show at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! In New York city.
Instances of other Record Breaking Gems
The giant pearl joins a select group of other record breaking gems which have eye-watering price tags.
The 1109-carat rough Lesedi La Rona diamond is the biggest in the world, approximately the same size as a tennis ball. This giant diamond is worth over $70 million dollars.
The other noticeable record holder jewel is the world’s largest clue star sapphire, namely the Lanken Star of Adam. It belongs to a Sri Lankan gem trader and has a valuation of between $100million and $300million.
What is your opinion about this story? Do you think the $35million lucky charm has brought luck to the fisherman’s life? Although the fisherman is still unidentified, he must definitely get a cut. I mean aside from a free ticket to the museum! Right?
If you enjoyed reading about the giant pearl, we recommend you to check out also These Are The Most Expensive Pearls in The World.
