Man finds rare purple pearl in his clam at Delaware restaurant

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania man eating with his family at a Delaware restaurant made a surprising discovery inside of a clam: a purple pearl.

Scott Overland of Phoenixville was eating at the Salt Air restaurant in Rehoboth Beach with his wife and children when the discovery was made inside a northern quahog clam.

"At first my wife thought it was, like, a bead, or one of those -- it looked like one of those 'Dot' candies on the paper," Overland told WCAU-TV. "We thought the chef dropped something in there."

The family soon realized the object was a pearl.

"We had never heard of a pearl in a clam. I always thought they came in oysters," Overland told Delaware Online.

Ballard Clams and Oysters spokesman Tim Parsons said both oysters and clams are known to produce pearls. He said he hears of diners making similar discoveries two or three times a year.

"Usually, it's over a dentist claim," he joked. "But you can definitely get it graded and they are worth money."

Overland said he is planning to have the pearl appraised.