Largest pearl in the world to be exhibited in Philippines

The largest pearl in the world will be exposed to the Philippines soon after the pearl worth 100 million dollars was recovered from a house that burned, Xinhua News revealed. The pearl was found 10 years ago by a fisherman who was unaware of its value and kept it as a good luck charm, Palawan official Aileen Amurao said.

Philippine officials believe they may have recovered the biggest natural giant clam pearl in the world - weighing a whopping 34kg (5.2 stone). The fisherman decided to hand the pearl to the authorities only after his house burned. "We were amazed when he brought it to us," Amurao told local media. “Now we need help from a gemological specialist to rate it'' she added.

The pearl is 1ft (30.5cm) wide and 2.2ft long and, if confirmed, will easily beat the current record holder, the Pearl of Lao Tzu, which weighs 6.4kg. The Pearl of Lao Tzu was also found in the Palawan Sea, which surrounds the island of Palawan in the Philippines, and was found by a Filipino diver. It is not considered a gemstone pearl, but is instead known as a "clam pearl" or "Tridacna pearl" from a giant clam. It measures 24 centimeters in diameter (9.45 inches) and weighs 6.4 kilograms (14.1 lb).

The pearl was recently shown to the public in the Philippines for the first time. The fisherman has not signed any donation to the city so the pearl “remains his property,” information officer Richard Ligad said via Interaksyon.