Poor Woman Found $14,000 Orange Pearl While Cooking Sea Snails For Dinner

An underprivileged woman has seen her life turn around after she discovered a rare Melo pearl in her meal. The orange pearl’s worth can be up to thousands of rands.

Kodchakorn Tantiwiwatkul had spent 70 baht ($2.25) buying bought sea snails at a local market for dinner. The woman was cutting the snails into small pieces when she noticed a round orange object in one of the shells.

Woman finds a hidden gem in a snail

At first, she thought it was a rock. However, her jaw drops upon learning that it was actually a Melo pearl. It weighs six grams and is 1.5cm in diameter. Depending on the quality, it could worth a fortune, $14,000.

Kodchakorn Tantiwiwatkul and the Melo pearl.Kodchakorn along with her family kept it a secret as they feared that the seller who sold the snails may request them to give the pearl back.

She found it on January 30. It is three months later that she went public and is planning to sell it to help her mother with the medical expenses.

She said,

"I showed it to my mother and she said it’s a Melo pearl and very valuable. We also watched the news in the television where a fisherman sold his for a fortune.'

Niwat Tantiwiwatkul, Kodchakorn's father, said they badly need the money as he had an accident. Meanwhile, his wife is in need of cancer treatment. That is why their medical bill could cost over a million baht.

He shared,

"We can’t wait any longer. Now, we are desperate. My wife was diagnosed with cancer while I had an accident. This Melo pearl is our only hope to help them access the better treatment."

Kodchakorn Tantiwiwatkul also said she hopes that after she goes public, a buyer will come forth.

She added,

"I've seen stories of other people who have found Melo pearls and they were able to sell them. I hope we can do the same as the money will be a big help."

In fact, Melo pearls vary from orange to tan and brown in hue with the former being more profitable. Volutidae, a type of predatory sea snails, produce these pearls. They are often found in the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea off Myanmar’s coast.

Other times people found a fortune in a Melo pearl

Last month, a man found a similar pearl that is worth over $66,650 in a 20-rand snail snack.

Officials had confirmed that this gem was extremely rare. The Melo gem weighed 65.57 carats. However, the 40-year-old truck driver said he could sell it for $23,000, which is a third of the estimated cost.

In January, a poor fisherman also found one that worth more than $333,200 while picking up shells with his family.

A rich man from a different province offered to buy it for $34,600 but they refused.

Another buyer from Thailand came forth and offered more. However, they still refused to sell as they believed they can get a much bigger price.

The third potential buyer comes from China. They negotiated with them to buy it for $320,710 its true value but wanted to check if it was authentic.

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