Fisherman Finds Rare Orange Pearl Worth Up To £250,000

A fisherman is set to make some serious cash after finding a rare pearl worth £250,000 on the beach.

Hatchai Niyomdecha, 37, had been picking up oyster shells on a beach with his family in Thailand's Si Thammarat province, when he found a discarded buoy that had been washed ashore.

The buoy had three shells sticking to it, which Hatchai and his brother took home.

When they got back, they gave the shells to their father Bangmad, 60, who cleaned them - finding a beautiful orange pearl that was slightly bigger than a 10p coin.

Hatchai called his wife and two sons and showed them the stunning 7.68g pearl before they decided to get its value checked the next day.

Viral Press

Eventually they found out it was a rare orange Melo pearl, which is an extremely expensive gem formed inside the shell of a large snail called Melo Melo.

How it ended up inside an oyster is a bit of a mystery, but what probably matters most to Hatchai is that it could be worth as much as 10 million baht (£242,761/$332,088).

Hatchai claims he had a strange dream a few days before finding the pearl, saying: "An old man in white with a long moustache told me to come to the beach so I can receive a gift. I think he led me to finding the pearl.

"I want to sell the pearl for the highest price. The money won't just change my life, it will change my destiny. My whole family will have better lives."

Hatchai believes the old man could be a deity and wanted to help him and his family out of poverty.

Viral Press

A few days later, a wealthy businessman from another province heard about the pearl and offered to buy the pearl for one million baht (£24,276/$33,208), but the family refused.

Another luxury items collector increased the offer to five million baht (£121,380.78/$166,044), but the family still declined - believing instead they could get a much higher price for it.

A third buyer, from China, is now negotiating with the family to buy the pearl for a whopping 10 million baht (£242,761/$332,088).

The buyer wanted to see for himself that it was a genuine Melo - which is understandable, given how much he's forking out - and is expected to fly to Thailand to next week.

He'll first have to undergo the required two-week quarantine before reaching Hatchai's home to look at the pearl.

Topics: World News, News, Thailand

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman