Kathleen Morelli's trek to visit family in Philadelphia paid off beyond expectations when she made her traditional stop at a favorite clam shack and bit into a little neck with a rare pearl.
"I bit down and I pulled it out and said, 'Look at this,'" Morelli told Delmarvanow.com.
Morelli lives in Virginia Beach and whenever she comes up to see her sister in Philly, she pops into the Great Machinpongo Clam Shack in Nassawadox, Va. to grab some clams for steaming. During the Philly feast with family, Morelli bit into a clam and found the pearl. At first, she didn't think much of the 4-1/2 carat gem, but saved it to show her husband when she got home.
"We just enjoyed looking at it," Morelli said.
When her husband decided to figure out what the purple pearl might be worth, he realized it was a pricey and a rare find.
"From what I've read, one in 5,000 clams will grow a pearl. When you're talking anything of decent size, it's much more unusual," Joe Morelli said, adding his wife's pearl may just be a one-in-a-million find.
Kathleen Morelli's not really a "pearl" person when it comes to jewelry, so she's planning to cash in on her big catch, which could bring about $3,000. Not bad she says, for a $15 bag of clams.
