Pearl Discovered in Birthday Meal Transformed into Necklace

A pearl, discovered by a woman’s partner in a bowl of mussels during her birthday dinner, has been crafted into a pendant by a jeweller. Ms. Paige Hawkins’ partner located the pearl within his meal earlier this year as they celebrated at The Quayside restaurant, situated in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire. Kevin Bassam, a jeweller from the West Midlands, contacted Ms. Hawkins subsequent to learning of her story on BBC radio, offering to fashion the pearl into an item of jewellery without charge. “We were just so blown away by the offer,” stated Ms. Hawkins, who resides in Kidderminster. Mr. Bassam, representing K Bassam Jewellers, made contact with Ms. Hawkins through the restaurant after hearing about the pearl on BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester. He commented, “I thought to myself, ‘this is a great story, I would like to be involved’.” Mr. Bassam explained that natural pearls, which develop over many years when organic material enters a shellfish’s shell, are exceptionally uncommon. He further noted that the majority of jewellery incorporates cultured pearls, a process where humans insert a bead into a shell and subsequently cultivate the resulting gems. He remarked, “So that makes it more special – and the backstory [of how it was found] makes it even more special.” Ms. Hawkins expressed her delight with the pendant designed by Mr. Bassam. She stated, “It was even better than I imagined, it’s so beautiful.” She added, “I haven’t taken it off.” For more, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.