17-2-2021
A Thai truck driver discovers a tangerine pearl weighs 7 grams from a 50 baht per gram apple snailin Chonburi, weeks after a similar pearl was found also in Thailand.
The 65.57 carats pearl was certified as a genuine melo pearl by the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT). According to Sumeth Prasong Phongchai, GIT director, melo pearl can’t be farmed but can be found in the wild. There is approximately one melo pearl in every 3,000 Melo melos in the open sea. Its estimated price per carat ranges from US$6,000 to $17,000.
Earlier this month, a Thai farmer found a 7.68-gram melo pearl on a beach and was offered over US$160,000 for the rare gem. He was allegedly caught having a meth party with friends in celebration of the find at his home days later.