Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath went to investigate after a man found an orange "Melo Pearl" in shellfish called "hoi wan".

 

His friends suggested he could be a baht millionaire if he sold it.

 

Sittidech Chaiwan, 26, in Ang Thong sub-district of Phayao said he had bought a whole load of pork and seafood at the market for his wife Katip's birthday "moo katha" dinner on August 11th.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

He'd bitten into the shellfish and thought it was a stone at first until he saw the shape and color.

Chiang Mai gem testing lab confirmed a week later that it was indeed a melo pearl that was about 2.63 millimeter round and 0.151 of a carat.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

He reckoned he had done internet research and melo pearls go for $US6,000 to $US17,000 a carat. 

 

ASEAN NOW have had many stories about melo pearls over the years and most are much bigger than this specimen and indeed worth a lot of money.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

At a sixth of a carat or thereabouts we suggest that Sittidech might like to lower his assessment of the gem's worth!

 

Anyone interested in buying it can contact him on Facebook on the page "Pound in'Dy".

 

You can bargain the price, said the lucky owner. 

 

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5 hours ago, webfact said:

He reckoned he had done internet research and melo pearls go for $US6,000 to $US17,000 a carat. 

6,000 x 30 / 6 = circa 30,000 baht, not much of a baht-millionaire...

2.63mm round? I presume they mean diameter. That's a pretty small pearl. Wouldn't be much use for making a pearl necklace.

He might get a few baht for it, but I doubt  a million.

The value will be reduced with his teeth marks on it......????

What a great  find

21 hours ago, webfact said:

He reckoned he had done internet research and melo pearls go for $US6,000 to $US17,000 a carat. 

His pearl is 0.151 of a carat.. he might want to go back on the internet and use an online calculator.