A fisherman came across an incredibly rare orange pearl washed up on a local beach – worth nearly £250,000.
Hatachai Niyomdecha, from Thailand, was out on a walk with his family when he noticed a discarded buoy which had washed up on the shore of a nearby beach in the Si Thammarat province.
The 37-year-old decided to pick up the buoy and take it home, as it had three shells stuck to it and he wanted to see what was inside.
Hatchai and his brother took the shells to their dad Bangmad, 60, who gave them a clean and made the discovery of the pearl, not yet knowing its worth.
The beautiful orange pearl, which is roughly the same size as a 10p coin, weighed in at 7.68g.
Hatchai was shocked by the stunning discovery and decided to call his wife and two sons to show them, before looking into its value and setting up a meeting for the following day.
It wasn't long until the family found out that the random discovery was actually an ultra-rare gem, known as the orange Melo pearl.
It is extremely expensive and is formed inside the shell of a large snail called the Melo Melo.
However, Hatchai found his pearl in the middle of an oyster.
Antiques collector finds £230k of treasure inside hoarder's home he paid £5k for
Experts told the family it could fetch them up to 10 million baht (£242,761).
The father believes he was subconsciously sent to the beach to find the rare pearl, as he explained that a strange dream a few days prior gave him a sign of what was to come.
He said: "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."
Hatchai and his family aren't very wealthy so the money they could fetch from the sale of the rare gem would mean everything to them.
Royal Mint announces rarest 50p coins in circulation – check to see if you have any
He and his wife want to sell the pearl for the highest possible amount, and have already lined up buyers.
Hatchai added: "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."
In Hatchai's eyes, the old man from his dream was a deity – a god-like figure – who was sent to help him and his family out of poverty.
A matter of days after their discovery, a rich businessman from another part of Thailand got in touch with the family, offering to take the Melo pearl off their hands for one million baht, which equates to around £24,276, but the Niyomdecha family turned down his offer.
Desperate holidaymaker uses fake work note to try and blag Tenerife trip at airport
They knew the pearl could get them a much higher amount, so the offers started coming in, with one luxury items collector offering a whopping five million baht (£121,380.78).
But again, they turned down the offer.
However, the most impressive bid is one that's still pending, as the prospective buyer is planning on heading over to Thailand all the way from China to ensure that the pearl is indeed a genuine one.
He is negotiating with the family to buy the pearl for the very tidy sum of 10 million baht (£242,761).
The buyer will fly out to Thailand next week, and will need to undergo the required two-week quarantine before reaching Hatchai's home to inspect the pearl.
Source: Read Full Article
