A fisherman in the Philippines discovered this 75-lb. giant 10 years ago and kept it under his bed as a good luck charm
Philippine officials have announced that they are in possession of what is believed to be the largest natural pearl in the world.
The pearl weighs 75 lbs. and measures approximately 2 feet by 1 foot.
The Daily Mail reports the pearl was brought in to the local tourist office by a fisherman who had found the pearl 10 years ago off the coast of the island of Palawan in the western Philippines. He had kept the pearl under his bed as a good luck charm, and brought the pearl into the office only after his house caught fire. It is unclear why he brought the pearl in, or whether he has donated the pearl to the tourist office.
“He didn’t know how much it was worth and kept it tucked away at home as a simple good luck charm,” said Aileen Cynthia Maggay-Amurao, an official of Puerto Princesa, Philippines, in a statement to journalists. “We were amazed when he brought it to us. We now need help from gemologists to fully certify it.”
It is not know which, if any, gemological institutes may have been contacted. JCK has reached out to GIA to find out whether they have had inquiries about the pearl.
Maggay-Amurao also wrote about the pearl on her Facebook page and announced its public viewing at the Puerto Princesa city hall. “All recorded giant pearls in the world came from Palawan waters,” she wrote.
The current record holder for the largest pearl is the 14-lb. pearl of Lao Tzu, also found off the coast of Palawan.