MISSISSAUGA, Ontario – Filipino-Canadian Abraham Reyes could be holding one of the world’s rare treasures in his possession, and might turn out to be the world’s biggest natural pearl ever seen in existence.
The pearl weights 27.65 kilograms, which is four times heavier than the Lao-Tzu Pearl (also known as the Pearl of Allah or a Giga Pearl) – which used to be thought as the largest pearl in the world.
The 34-year old mineral broker got hold of the pearl as a family heirloom from his aunt a few years back and all this time, he kept the pearl within a bank safe deposit box and had a custom-made 22-karat gold-leaf octopus to hold the pearl.
His family didn’t really know if what they had was a pearl as well as if it was worth anything at all after Reyes’ grandfather bought a giant clam from a fisherman in Camiguin to give as a gift to his aunt way back in 1959.
Reyes worked with an Asian art expert to have the pearl authenticated at the Gemological Institute of America in New York City, with insurance appraisers estimating the total worth of the Giga Pearl to be around $60 to $90 million (P3.1 billion to P4.7 billion), as per a report from Inquirer USA.
“I want to find a place for it to be showcased,” Reyes told CBC Toronto, and furthered that the pearl might have scientific importance as it is believed to be more than 1,000 years old.
