PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES — Quite a few Asian countries call themselves the Pearl of the Orient, but never has the Philippines deserved the moniker more than now,
with the discovery of this huge gem.

The Puerto Princesa Tourism Office in Palawan recently unveiled a monstrous pearl measuring 67 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide and weighing 34 kilograms.

A tourism officer posted the photos of the pearl on Facebook, with a call for gemologists to certify its authenticity so that the city can use it to vy for the title of world’s biggest natural giant clam pearl. The current record holder is the Pearl of Lao Tzu, which weighs 6.4 kilograms.


According to Palawan News, the monstrous pearl was turned over to the tourism office for safekeeping by a local fisherman. The man found the priceless gem in the waters off Palawan a decade ago, discovering it inside a giant clam that got stuck on his boat’s anchor. He had no idea how much it was worth, and just kept it under his bed as a good luck charm.

The pearl is reportedly valued at $100 million.