The fisherman, while at sea, found the 12-inch by 24-inch pearl inside a huge clam that was snagged by his boat’s anchor when he and his relatives were hiding in a reef during a storm in 2006.
According to Puerto Princesa City Tourism Officer Aileen Cynthia Amurao, the aunt of the fisherman, the man kept the pearl, weighing 34 kilograms (75 pounds), under a wooden bed in his house as a good-luck charm.
It was only in July when the fisherman transferred to a new house that he asked Amurao to keep the pearl for himself.
Weighing in at 75 pounds, this could be the world's largest pearl. SmithsonianMag) August 25, 2016
“I was awestruck when I saw it just sitting on the dinner table,” Amurao told AFP. “I told him it would be pointless to hide it as we do not know its value. Why don’t we put it on public display instead.”
With the fisherman’s approval, Amurao then facilitated the pearl’s transfer to the Puerto Princesa City Hall where it is now on display since Monday.
Potentially world’s largest natural pearl kept by Philippine fisherman for a decade, estimated value of US$100 mln zLalAV7jrX
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) August 25, 2016
As the news about the huge pearl spread, visitors started flocking to the city to take photos of the gem. The city government of Puerto Princesa, the capital of the Palawan province, also posted photos of it on its Facebook page.
Amurao, who hopes the discovery will help lure more tourists to the city, said she initially thought the pearl, now known as the “Pearl of Puerto,” was just an ordinary large coral washed ashore.
“I just became aware when I searched the internet that all giant pearls came from here; sad to know none of those were left in the possession of the city or province,” she told the Inquirer.
“Honestly, our officials were amazed, and they also don’t have any idea about natural pearls. We do not have experts here in the province to tell that it’s a real pearl,” she said.
The Guardian reported that the pearl, once confirmed that it was formed within a giant clam as has been reported, could be worth more than $100 million.
Puerto Princesa City information officer Richard Ligad said the fisherman who discovered the pearl could be in for an extraordinary windfall.
“He has not signed any deed of donation (to the city) so it remains his property,” Ligad told the AFP.
Before the giant pearl’s discovery, the “Pearl of Lao Tzu,” which was also found in Palawan, was the largest known pearl in the world. Also known as the “Pearl of Allah,” the 9.45-inch gem, weighing 6.4 kilograms, was discovered in 1939.
The “Pearl of Lao Tzu” was valued in 2003 at $93 million by Colorado Springs gemologist Michael “Buzz” Steenrod.
