A fisherman in Palawan hid a giant pearl under
his bed as a ‘good luck charm’ for 10 years, unaware that he had already struck
gold when he found it.
The
37-kg pearl, now believed to be the largest, is possibly worth millions of
dollars, and could change the course of his life forever.
The 30 by 60 centimeter
pearl is currently displayed at the Puerto Princesa city hall. Local officials
are hoping to have gemologists assess its value soon.
It was said to be
discovered by the fisherman in a giant clam while waiting out a storm at sea.
His aunt, Puerto Princesa tourism officer Cynthia Amurao, only told him of its
potential value when he asked her to hide it for him when he moved to a new
address.
Before the discovery of
this 34-kilogram pearl, the largest known pearl was the ‘The Pearl of Lao
Tzu’ also known as ‘The Pearl of Allah’. It weighed 14 kilograms, and was
appraised by experts to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
According to Puerto
Princesa information officer Richard Ligad, the fisherman still owns the pearl
as he has not signed any deed of donation to the city.
The ‘good luck’ that he
had hoped for in keeping the pearl for a decade may soon finally pay off.
