It was more than a decade ago when a Filipino fisherman threw out his anchor and dragged from the sea floor a gigantic pearl weighing 75 pounds.
A magnificent specimen, it was not unheard of for pearls to reach such sizes as they would likely come from a giant clam, which can reach up to four feet in width. So he kept the giant pearl at home as a good luck charm.
Turns out this giant pearl could be the world’s biggest. The current world record pearl weighs around 50 pounds. The possible new record holder was unveiled to the public by the local tourism office in Puerto Princesca where the fishermen handed the pearl over after a fire burned his house down.
What the poor fisherman didn’t realize however, is that the pearl is likely worth around $100 million! Now that’s one good catch. It was unclear yet, how much — if any — the fisherman and his family will receive for the pearl.
Tourism officials who spoke with the Palawan News say they hope to use the pearl to attract more tourists to the area. But we can hardly imagine they can afford the hefty price tag. Until then, the pearl is being evaluated for authenticity by geologists.
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