Florida Couple Finds 5 Pearls In Their Oysters

FLORIDA — A Florida couple may want to consider playing the lottery following their recent luck.

Anja Kellenberger and her fiancé, Rod Balmer, told WINK-TV that they were drinking wine and eating oysters Friday evening when they made a surprising discovery: something hard with a lot of value.

“I thought it was something from the shell initially, but then when I got the first one out, and then the second one spoke, you know, third and fourth, fifth, it kind of felt the same way. So, I knew they were there. And that was kind of really freaky,” Balmer told the news station.

Oysters the couple purchased from Merrick Seafood Market in Cape Coral had gifted them with at least five pearls — an incredibly uncommon occurrence.

In fact, it is so rare that only 1 in about 10,000 wild oysters will actually produce a pearl, jewelry experts say.

According to The Pearl Source, on average, a pearl’s value ranges from $300 to $1,500. Because of their rarity, natural pearls — those found in the sea —are generally much more expensive than cultured pearls, which are created using a pearl farming technique.

Despite what they may be worth, the Florida couple says their pearls aren't for sale. Kellenberger told the TV station that she plans to hold onto them.

Both say they also plan to be a little more careful when eating oysters. Rather than slurp them down, they'll slowly chew them. After all, luck could strike twice — or in this case a sixth time.