Look: Pearl found in clam at Maine restaurant becomes engagement ring

July 27 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island woman found a pearl in a clam she was served at a restaurant, and it ended up becoming her engagement ring.

Sandy Sikorski and Ken Steinkamp said they were dining at The Bridge Restaurant and Raw Bar in downtown Westerly with Sikorski's brother and his wife in December 2021 when Sikorski ate the last of the quahog clams.

"That's when I tasted this big round thing in my mouth. I'm thinking, 'What the heck is this?' So, I take it and spit it down on the table, in my hand, and my sister-in-law says, 'Is that a tooth?'" Sikorski told WJAR-TV.

Sikorski's sister-in-law, a jewelry enthusiast, soon surmised the object was a 9.8 millimeter pearl.

Marc Fishbone of Black Orchid Jewelers examined the object and confirmed the suspicions.

"He said it is called a Mercenaria pearl, which is a mollusk type of little animal, which makes what looks like a little pearl. It's made out of the same material, calcite, and another mineral in it and takes years and years to grow," Sikorski said. "He said the weight of this, and the size of this, is probably 50 years to make."

Sikorski and Steinkamp agreed that if they ever decided to get married, they would have the pearl made into an engagement ring.

That plan came to pass when Steinkamp proposed July 8, using a ring Fishbone had fashioned with the pearl as its stone.

The couple celebrated their engagement by returning to the restaurant, where they shared their story with hostess Myra Dioisio.

"It was nice to see them again and hear that story," Dioisio said. "It's a fairytale, it's magical, you hear about 'Oh I hope to find something in there' but you never do. It's always a piece of rock or sand."

The restaurant shared photos of the pearl and the ring on social media.

"Thank you to Sandy B. for sharing this delightful story, and congratulations!" the post said.