N.J. Couple Finds Pearl That May Be Worth Thousands While Having Usual Clam Appetizer
A New Jersey couple recently got the surprise of a lifetime when they ordered their usual appetizer at a favorite restaurant.
Over Presidents Day weekend, Maria and Michael Spressler went to The Lobster House in Cape May — a yearly tradition of theirs that dates back to 1987, according to CBS affiliate KYW-TV.
However, this year's meal ended up being extra special when Michael found a pearl in the final clam of his appetizer.
"When I picked it up on the fork it looked kinda heavy, but I didn't think nothing of it," he told the outlet. "Then when I started to eat it I noticed something was in my mouth."
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Although Michael initially assumed he must have broken one of his teeth, he soon realized he had actually uncovered an 8.8 millimeter pearl, per KYW-TV.
"We've never found anything like that so it was pretty exciting," said Maria.
Even though the pearl could be worth thousands of dollars, the couple has no plans to sell it, per the outlet. Instead, they're thinking about having it "set into a nice piece of jewelry."
CBS Philly/Youtube New Jersey couple holding the pearl they found during a recent meal
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After sharing the good news on their social media page, the restaurant explained that it's a misconception to think that pearls are only found in oysters.
"Both [oysters and clams] produce pearls," they wrote in a comment, noting that mussels do as well.
"It's the bivalve's reaction to debris or grit," they shared.
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As finding a pearl in your meal doesn't happen every day, many of the restaurant's customers celebrated the discovery on social media.
"Couldn't happen at a more special place!!" one social media user wrote in a comment on the restaurant's Facebook post, while another replied, "Wow, how lucky."
"That is so amazing!!" added a third, before quipping, "Why can't things like that happen to me lol."
