World's largest known freshwater pearl to be auctionned in The Hague
The auction on Thursday will be the first time in 240 years the pearl has been sold, and it is valued between 340,000 and 540,000 euros.
The world's largest known freshwater pearl, dubbed the "Sleeping Lion" due to its irregular shape, will be auctioned on Thursday (May 31) in The Hague.
The sellers, a commercial group called the Amsterdam Pearl Society, said the pearl had once been owned by Catherine the Great of Russia and believe it comes from China.
The auction on Thursday will be the first time in 240 years the pearl has been sold, and it is valued between 340,000 and 540,000 euros.
Pearl expert Hanco Zwaan said the pearl is unique because it was formed in nature without any human intervention. One of the earliest accounts of the pearl was in the city archives of Amsterdam which called it the Sleeping Lion Pearl, and said it weighed 578 carats.
The pearl's current owner, Herman Dommisse, who is the chairman of the Amsterdam Pearl Society, said he decided to sell the pearl because it is an important piece of nature and should be exhibited in a museum.
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