$135m pearl kept in hut

This article is more than 12 months old

Aug 24, 2016 06:00 am

An unidentified fisherman in the Philippines had kept a giant pearl that might be the biggest ever under his bed for the last 10 years.

The gem (above) measuring around 67cm by 30cm came to light on Monday after he showed it to a local tourism officer in the city of Puerto Princesca on Palawan Island.

It weighs 34kg and is estimated to be worth S$135 million. The fisherman had not been aware of its value and had kept it as a good luck charm until a fire forced him to move out of his wooden shack.

The pearl, found off the coast of Palawan, had been formed inside a giant clam.

Tourism officer Aileen Cynthia Amurao said: "The fisherman threw the anchor down and it got stuck on a rock during a storm. He noticed it was lodged on a shell and swam down to pull up the anchor, and also brought the shell with him. This was a decade ago and he kept it at home."