Fisherman had €100m pearl under his bed for 10 years

A Filipino fisherman has found possibly the world’s biggest pearl, which he had hidden under a bed for more than 10 years as a lucky charm, a tourism official said.

Aileen Amurao, a relative of the fisherman and tourism officer for Puerto Princesa city on western Palawan island, said the man gave her the pearl last month for safekeeping because he was moving to a new place.

Ms Amurao said the pearl, which weighs 34kg and is 67cm long and 30cm wide, was sitting on a bench in her home for weeks until she found time to check the internet, and she was shocked to learn that it could be the world’s biggest.

The fisherman, his father and brothers found the irregular-shaped pearl inside a giant clam which stuck to their boat’s anchor when they sought refuge from a squall on a reef, Ms Amurao said.

The family hid the pearl in a bag under a bed, rubbing it with their hands before going out to sea in the belief it would bring them luck, she said.

The fisherman did not want to be identified.

Ms Amurao said she, the fisherman, and his family decided to hand the pearl over to the city’s mayor, who had it displayed in a glass case in Puerto Princesa’s city hall to attract tourists.

The fisherman will receive a still-unspecified financial reward from the local government, Ms Amurao said, adding that he never intended to sell it.

Experts from the University of the Philippines have expressed interest in inspecting the pearl, but she said no date has been set for their visit.

It would not be the first time giant pearls have been found off Palawan.

A 9kg specimen, called Pearl of the King, was found in Palawan in 1939, and is on display at a hotel in the central island resort of Boracay.

Local media have reported that fishermen had recovered other huge pearls in the province, including one reportedly weighing 24.75kg.

Guinness World Records lists a 718.50-carat baroque abalone pearl as the biggest of its kind, measuring 14cm in length, 8cm, wide, and 4cm thick.