Family Heirloom May Be Worth $90M

Abraham Reyes of Ontario shows off what he says is a massive natural pearl
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 28, 2019 7:50 AM CDT
Updated Mar 31, 2019 9:33 AM CDT

They are not your usual comparisons for gemstones: The CBC says it's roughly the size of a baby, while the owner says it's about the size of a cow's head. Both refer to what may be one of the biggest natural pearls in the world. It weighs about 60 pounds, and Abraham Reyes says it's been in his family for years. Assuming it's legit, the pearl far outweighs the world-famous Pearl of Lao Tze, which clocks in at about 15 pounds and was long considered the record-holder. It is not, however, as large as one a Filipino fisherman revealed he had a few years ago.

Reyes says his pearl came from a giant clam his grandfather bought off a fisherman from the island of Camiguin in the Philippines, and his aunt recently passed it down to him. The 34-year-old is a mineral broker, and he says the heirloom has been certified as a pearl, with an insurance appraisal of between $60 million and $90 million. For now, he plans to lend the "Giga Pearl" to a museum. The Lao Tze, incidentally, also is from Filipino waters. The Atlantic dug into its controversial history in a 2018 feature. (More pearls stories.)

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