Fisherman finds rare orange pearl worth $330K

A fisherman and his brother got lucky when they found a rare pearl, an orange pearl, in a shell, which is worth more than U$330,000.

Brothers Hatchai Niyomdecha, 37, and Worachat Niyomdecha, 35, were walking the shore of Nakhon Si Thammarat in the Gulf of Thailand on Jan. 27. when they spotted an abandoned buoy, dotted with shellfish, according to Viral Press.

The siblings plucked three snails from the apparatus with plans to have them for a snack. But what their father Bangmad Niyomdecha, 60, found while cleaning the shells was worth much more than fresh escargot.

The orange coloured pearl has the width of a dime and weighs about 7.68 grams. It was found in the Melo melo sea snail, even though it is typically found in oyster pearls. These pearls are formed in a gastropod and are found in Asian waters. The colour ranges from tan or brown and even shades of orange.

Hatchai, whose family hails from an impoverished fishing community, believes it may have been destiny that led him to the treasure.

“An old man in white with a long mustache told me to come to the beach so I can receive a gift. I think he led me to find the pearl,” he said of a dream he had just days before the discovery.

“I want to sell the pearl for the highest price,” he told Viral Press. “The money won’t just change my life, it will change my destiny. My whole family will have better lives.”