Five Pound 'Princess' Pearl to Be Sold at Auction

The "Palawan Princess," a five-pound, 11,339carat blister pearl was found off the coast of the Philippines and valued at between $300,000 and $400,000, went up for sale at Bonhams and Butterfields' December 6th auction.

It is thought to be the world's second-largest documented pearl. It weighs in at approximately 11,339 carats and measures six inches in diameter. It remains attached to the lower half of the giant clam shell in which it was found and in which it formed. The natural non-nacreous pearl was found in the saltwater near the Philippines’ Palawan Island and so was aptly named the "Palawan Princess."

The pearl, said by many to look like the human brain, is second only in size to the fourteen pound "Pearl of Allah," weighing in at 31,893.5carats. It was found in a giant clam shell (the Tridacna gigas), also in the coastal waters of the Philippines.

No information is available about whether the pearl sold and what it sold for.