World’s Largest Clam Pearl Worth $100 Million Found by a Filipino Fisherman

It takes at least three years for an oyster to produce a pearl. These precious pearls are created by a living animal.

Although there are pearl farms that initiate the process of oysters creating pearls, it is still made by a living animal. However, in August 2016 a giant natural pearl was discovered and where they found it will surely surprise you.

In Puerto Princesa, Philippines, a giant pearl was discovered. As the story of its origin goes, it was formerly placed under the bed by its owner as his good luck charm. As days went by, the fisherman who discovered the pearl had to move so he asked his aunt if she could look after it for him.

But the Aunt who was, Aileen Cynthia Amurao, decided to put the giant pearl on display as a tourist attraction. In an interview, she shared, “He’d almost forgotten everything about the pearl until he was moving out, and he remembered he had something under his bed.”

According to her, the fisherman delivered the pearl to her in a tricycle. She said, “I was awestruck when I saw it just sitting at the dinner table.”

As it happens, Amurao was a tourism officer of Puerto Princesa City. Naturally, she had the idea of putting the giant pearl on display so she talked to his nephew the fisherman if she could place it on display. According to her, “I told him it would be pointless to hide it as we do not know its value. Why don’t we put it on public display instead.”

They proceeded to do just that, and Amurao was right, a lot of people was stunned at the discovery. Even people and reporters from around the world went to see it. It was estimated that the giant pearl could be worth $100 Million dollars.

The giant pearl weighs 75 pounds and measures about 1 foot wide and 2.2 feet long which beats the former titleholder by five times in size which was the Pearl of Lao Tze (Pearl of Allah) found in 1939 and weighs 14 pounds. The Journal of Gemology even went as much as the report that the giant pearl from a giant clam was a fake.

However, the president of the International School of Gemology Robert James said that “it was more of an oddity than a rarity.” He continued, “The $100 Million is a great story, a great tourist attraction, but there’s no way someone could actually attach a price tag to that.”

But in early 2017, another giant pearl was found and sold to raise money for the Philippines. This pearl was reported to weigh 81.5 pounds which overthrows giant pearl of Puerto Princesa.

It was a shock that there is this rare object found, yet people are claiming for it to be fake. It would be good if they could get it appraised so we can also know if it was a real pearl or not.