Philippines is known for its beautiful shores and rich marine biodiversity which earned it the title “Pearl of the Orient Sea”. The name came from the Spanish conquerors of the country, derived from Perla De Oriente o Perla Del Mar De Oriente. The idea of naming the country this was actually came from a Spanish Jesuit missionary Fr. Juan J. Delgado in 1751 upon the discovery of the biggest pearl in the world, the “Pearl of Lao Tzu” or “Pearl of Allah” which is still under the care of the Philippines.
But aside from that, the country is not called the “Pearl” for nothing, as one of the largest mother of pearl clams are found in the seas of Palawan. Undeniably, most of the prized pearls exported around the world came from the Philippines, and the largest one to ever be discovered actually came from the country as well.
But recently, a fisherman from Palawan unknowingly discovered a large pearl bigger than the one that was first discovered in 1751. The fisherman discovered the gigantic pearl 10 years ago, and not knowing the prized value of the pearl, decided to keep it in his house as a decoration.
Unfortunately, their house was caught up in fire and they were forced to leave their house. The pearl, luckily, was salvaged, and was passed on to his aunt which is a tourism officer in the province of Palawan. That led to the discovery of the actual value of the pearl and its origins.
With the help of gemologists, they found out that the pearl came from a gigantic mother of pearl clam. Experts also certified the authenticity of the pearl and the total value of the pearl ranged up to 100 million USD, or a total of 5 billion pesos! The fisherman who discovered it had no idea that the prized lucky charm he used to keep at his house had so much value in the market.
It was first put out in public for the first time as a tourist attraction in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Later on, it was transferred to a museum in New York, whose name is left confidential.
Source: Online True Stories
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