Couple find 'one in 10,000' pearl in Suffolk oyster

Joe, 33, and his partner Emiliana, 26, were spending a weekend away in Orford and decided to get some oysters and fish for their evening meal from seafood restaurant and shop Pinney’s of Orford, in Quay Street. 

However, as Emiliana was eating her oyster she noticed what she thought was a bit of grit in her mouth, only to discover the precious white gemstone, which is created by the oyster as a defence against parasites. 

Butley Orford Oysterage restaurant, part of Pinney's of Orford, where the pearl-bearing oyster was bought (Image: Archant)

Depending on their quality, natural pearls can be worth up to millions of pounds, but Joe said he intended to turn it into a necklace for Emiliana. 

He said: “Emi, my partner, discovered the pearl as she was eating the oyster. She thought it was a bit of grit and almost swallowed it, but luckily, we realised before she did. 

“We were in shock. I wasn’t aware you could find pearls in oysters over the counter. But we were also struck by how beautiful it was, the colour is incredible. It’s like winning the lottery.” 

The oyster was one of six the couple had bought from Pinney’s for £1.49 each and Joe said he had sourced a jeweller who will use the pearl as part of a necklace chain, "something to memorialise the moment". 

Bill Pinney, owner of Pinney's of Orford, pictured in 2016 (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

Bill Pinney, owner of Pinney’s of Orford, said the oysters are farmed on-site and then either sold in the shop, served in the restaurant called Butley Orford Oysterage or sold to other restaurants in the area and London. 

He said: “It is quite unusual, but you do occasionally find them. It has happened a few times, I would say, with oysters that we produce.” 

He added the most valuable pearls typically came from oysters bred in the Indian Ocean.