A man has discovered a rare “one-in-a-million” purple pearl in a clam at a Delaware restaurant.
Scott Overland was on holiday with his wife Katie and his kids Addie, 6, and Logan, 2, in the coastal town of Rehoboth Beach, in the eastern US state of Delaware, when he made the rare discovery while eating clams at the Salt Air restaurant on 9th August.
Scott told Newsflash in an exclusive interview: “At first we didn’t believe that we had found a pearl – we didn’t know that clams produce pearls and we had never seen a purple pearl before.
(Scott Overland/Newsflash)
(Scott Overland/Newsflash)
“After the initial shock wore off, we have continued to feel very excited and fortunate to have discovered this beautiful pearl. It is a memory that we will have forever and we will likely keep the pearl as a family heirloom.”
Scott said that while he is not a big clam eater, he does like to order them when he knows they will be nice and fresh. He said: “I am actually not a big clam eater. I do like them, but they are usually something we will only order when we are at the beach or somewhere that we know they will be very fresh.”
He joked that he should eat more clams, that way, if he finds another pearl, he could give them to his wife as earrings. He said: “Haha, while I think my wife would like it to be a serious idea, it is just a joke!!”
Scott said the pearl could be worth up to USD 16,000. He said: It has not been appraised yet. I spoke with an appraiser and he said that the first step we need to take is to get it certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or a similar official certifying organization.
“They will be able to confirm the species and origin, and then the appraiser will be able to give a more accurate value. We’ve see a wide range of estimates of potential value from USD 600 to 16,000.”
Scott said the purple pearl is a rare, “one-in-a-million” find. He said: “We have been told it is very rare – about 1 in 5,000 clams produce some sort of pearl, but they are usually not an attractive shape or color or they are destroyed in processing. We’ve read that to find one like this is closer to one in a million.”
(Scott Overland/Newsflash)
(Scott Overland/Newsflash)
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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