That's sure to cure his hangover! Diner who ate oysters to recover from a heavy night claims he discovered rare pearl inside the shell



James Humphries bought two Pacific oysters from a Newquay fishmonger

He thought he'd lost a filling - but spat out a round pearl

Pearls are usually found in pearl oysters, not Pacific ones



A seafood lover who bought an oyster to cure his hangover claims he found a rare pearl inside.

James Humphries, 34, bought two fresh oysters from his local fishmongers to help ease a headache caused by too much beer the night before.

But after tucking into one of the shellfish he felt a 'lump' in his mouth.

James Humphries bought two Pacific oysters from his local fishmonger in Newquay as a hangover cure

The small round pearl is an unusual find because the pearls sold as gems usually come from pearl oysters, not Pacific

Warehouse manager Mr Humphries, of Newquay, Cornwall, thought he'd lost a filling but spat out a round pearl.

The find is rare as pearls are normally found in pearl oysters, part of the Pteriiidae family, not the Pacific oysters that he had bought, which belong to the genus Crassostrea.



The fishmonger who sold it to him said his family business had never seen a pearl in a Pacific oyster in 80 years of trading.

James said: 'I eat a couple of oysters every Saturday morning. They are the perfect hangover cure - refreshing, tasty, and much better than a can of Red Bull.

'I was eating a couple when I noticed a lump of something in my mouth. I thought a filling had fallen out.

Mr Humphries with Gareth Horner of E.Rawle and Co fishmongers, where he bought the oysters

The fishmonger where Mr Humphries bought his Pacific oysters said he'd never heard of a pearl being found in one during his 30 years in the business 'It was only when I spat it out I discovered it was a pearl. It's small but perfectly formed and I absolutely love it. 'I'm thinking of getting it made into a piece of jewellery, possibly a little silver fish with the pearl for its eye.' James bought his oyster from E Rawle & Co fishmongers in Newquay,which is run by Gareth Horner after it was founded by his grandfather in 1936.

Mr Humphries claimed he found this pearl, with a coin for size comparison, inside a Pacific oyster

Mr Horner said: 'I've been here for 30 years and sold thousands of oysters - but I've never seen a pearl come out of one.

'My dad has been in the business even longer and he's never heard of it either.'

Paul Cox of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth said: 'It's extremely rare for pearls to occur naturally in the wild.

'They are normally formed when a bit of grit gets into the oyster and the oyster forms a pearl by gradually laying down calcium carbonate around it.

'Most of the pearls you see are cultivated or come from pearl oysters. I've never come across anyone who has found a wild pearl before.

'It's extremely unusual and he's a very lucky man.'



Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of the gems on sale.

Heather Bell of Newquay's Little Gem jewellers said: 'It's difficult to put an exact price on this but given the rarity, it’s a priceless find for James.

'It's very round, its has a wonderful lustre - it's a beautiful pearl.'

Last year, scientists from the University of the Algarve and Portugal's Research Institute for Fisheries and Agriculture were stunned to discover pearls in four oysters from the Crassostrea family as they investigated potential viruses killing off oysters along the country's coast.

