Kublai Khan pearl could fetch $8m at auction

THE world’s largest natural pearl on the market was expected to fetch up to $8 million when it went on auction at Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace last night.

More than three inches long, the Arco Valley Pearl has been passed down for 800 years, from Chinese emperors to Marco Polo. The name of its current owner is a secret. But yesterday, hundreds of people got the chance to buy it in Abu Dhabi and on the internet.

The 575-carat pearl from 12th-century Mongolia once belonged to Chinese emperors, Persian kings, the grandson of Genghis Khan and Marco Polo.

The value of the saltwater pearl is based on its size, colour, weight, exclusivity, history and records of what people have been prepared to pay for similar items.

“It’s 800 years old and it still takes your breath away,” said Khaled al-Sayegh, 35, a jeweller from Abu Dhabi and chairman of the organising committee for the auction.

Arco Valley is only the biggest pearl up for sale in the world.

The 9.45-inch Pearl of Allah is the world’s largest. It was found by a diver off the Philippine island of Palawan in 1934 and is stored in a museum in that country.

At least 400 bidders from the Emirates, Gulf countries, China, India, Britain, the US and Tahiti are expected to attend the auction.