from The Ultimate Orient - Philippine South Sea Pearls, Jewelmer 2004

from The Ultimate Orient - Philippine South Sea Pearls, Jewelmer 2004

The largest pearl [14 pounds or 6.4 kg] known was found by an anonymous Muslim Filipino diver off the island of Palawan in 1934. It was first called the Pearl of Allah and is now officially named the Pearl of Lao-tze. In 1936 Wilbur Dowell Cobb was given this pearl as a gift by a chieftain of Palawan for having saved the life of his son. In 1980, Cobb's heirs sold it to a jeweler in Beverly Hills, California, for $200,000. It is now estimated to be worth upwards of $40,000,000! Currently, the Philippines produces both white and black pearls 8 to 20mm. However, they are most known for colors ranging from silvery white to champagne gold. The south sea pearl is the national gem of the Philippines.