Couple find pearl worth thousands in clam appetiser

‘I was down to the 12th one and when I picked it up on the fork it looked kinda heavy,’ said man who discovered a pearl in his meal

Maria and Michael Spressler at The Lobster House in Cape May, NJ (CBS Philly)

A New Jersey couple got a rare surprise in their clam starter while visiting one of their favourite restaurants.

Maria and Michael Spressler had been going to the Lobster House in Cape May since 1987, but during their last visit they found a pearl in one of the shells, which could be worth thousands of dollars.

“I was down to the 12th one and when I picked it up on the fork it looked kinda heavy, but I didn’t think nothing of it,” Mr Spressler told KYW-TV about the Presidents’ Day meal. “Then when I started to eat it I noticed something was in my mouth.”

Mr Spressler thought he had broken a tooth at first, but soon realised it was an 8.8 millimetre pearl. The couple has not yet had the pearl valued, but it could be worth thousands of dollars. Although, they have no plans to sell it, and instead have it set into a piece of jewellery.

“He’s eaten dozens and dozens of clams and we’ve never found anything like that so it was pretty exciting,” said Ms Spressler, who explained that it was their 34-year anniversary of visiting the restaurant for the very first time. The restaurant itself is celebrating its centennial year.

“I have worked here for around 10 years now and I’ve never heard of someone finding one in one of our oysters or clamshells,” said Sarah Stadnicar, who works at the Lobster House.

Mr Spressler thought he had broken a tooth at first after biting into the pearl (CBS Philly)

The couple has not yet had the pearl valued, but it could be worth thousands of dollars (CBS Philly)

It’s a misconception that pearls are only found in oysters, all molluscs, including oysters, mussels and clams can technically make pearls, but most peals on the market are cultured pearls, which are “seeded” by hand and in large quantities. Cultured pearls are potentially worth a lot less than natural pearls, depending on their size, shape, colour, lustre and nacre quality – the thicker the nacre, the more valuable the pearl.