718 carat Abalone Pearl
Photo by Keri Wood - This Abalone pearl, rated at 718.50 carats by the Gemological Institute of America, may be a new Guinness Book record.
718 carat Abalone Pearl
Peter Truong is not a treasure hunter, but a rare abalone pearl is what the Elk Grove resident uncovered on his annual diving trip to Mendocino this past summer.
Truong and his wife have been vacationing in Mendocino every summer for the past 10 years. His wife, Lily enjoys the sun while Peter dives 10-15 feet in the water with only a snorkel and mask to uncover abalone and eat the meat inside.
This past Memorial Day, Truong knew he had found something special when he pried open one of the three abalone shells he collected from the ocean floor.
?I knew it was special,? he said. ?You don't see that often.?
Truong is attempting to register the abalone pearl with the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest natural abalone pearl.
The current record is for a 469.13 carat baroque abalone pearl found at Salt Point State Park in California in May 1990, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is owned by Wesley Rankin and named ?Big Pink.?
Article source: http://www.egcitizen.com/articles/2010/11/26/lifestyle/doc4cf0369f094df838367848.txt
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