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Pennsylvania man finds rare purple pearl inside a clam at Delaware restaurant: report
By Ann Schmidt
Published August 23, 2022
A Pennsylvania man got a little something extra in his meal while he was on vacation.
Scott Overland of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was reportedly with his family at Salt Air restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, when he found a purple pearl in his order of clams at dinner one night.
"It was the end of the dish and I felt something hard and crunchy as I was eating," Overland told FOX 5 DC.
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Overland said that when he looked at the pearl, he at first thought it was a bead or a piece of candy.
"…it was a bright lavender – almost purple, and we had not heard of clams producing purple, so didn’t know this was a possibility," he said.
Scott Overland said he found this purple pearl in his clam dinner while he was on vacation with his family in Delaware. (Credit: Scott Overland)
Overland and his family realized it was a pearl when they looked back at the shell and saw an indentation where something had been growing, FOX 5 DC reported.
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"We put it in there and it was a perfect fit," Overland told the station.
After a Google search, Overland discovered pearls can cost anywhere from $600 to $1,600 depending on their size and shape, FOX 5 DC reported.
These kinds of pearls – grown in a species of hard saltwater clams native to New England – are "exceptionally rare," according to the International Gem Society (IGS).
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Only about one in 5,000 shells of this kind of clam produces a pearl and even those that are made are either poor quality or damaged, the IGS wrote on its website.
Overland said he plans to have the purple pearl appraised after learning pearls could cost between $600 and $1,600. (Credit: Scott Overland)
Overland told FOX 5 DC that he plans to get his pearl appraised but still wants to keep it.
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He said that his family is thrilled with their souvenir.
Overland said his family was thrilled to find the purple pearl at Salt Air restaurant while they were on vacation. (Credit: Scott Overland)
"We went on vacation expecting to bring back a T-shirt or a mug, our kids got some hermit crabs, we didn't expect to come back with something like this," Overland said.
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https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/pennsylvania-man-finds-rare-purple-pearl-clam-delaware-restaurant-report