Man discovers priceless pearl in his hangover breakfast

James Humphries, 34, or Newquay, England, considers oysters "the perfect hangover cure."

"'I eat a couple of oysters every Saturday morning. They are the perfect hangover cure - refreshing, tasty, and much better than a can of Red Bull," he told the DailyMail.

Last Saturday morning, after a night of heavy drinking, Humphries bought two fresh oysters from local fishmongers for breakfast.

While he was eating his way to sobriety, he discovered a pearl in one of the mollusks.

"I thought a filling had fallen out. It was only when I spat it out that I discovered it was a pearl," he told the Mirror. "It's small, but perfectly formed and I absolutely love it."

The fishmonger who sold Humphries the oyster said that in the 80 years his family business has been operating, there's never been a pearl in one of their oysters.

"I've been here for 30 years and sold thousands of oysters — but I've never seen a pearl come out of one," fishmonger Gareth Horner said. "My dad has been in the business even longer and he's never heard of it either."

Paul Cox of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth said the pearl was a rare find:

"It's extremely rare for pearls to occur naturally in the wild," Cox said. "Most of the pearls you see are cultivated or come from pearl oysters. I've never come across anyone who has found a wild pearl before. It's extremely unusual and he's a very lucky man."

Heather Bell, a local jeweller, said it's difficult to put an exact price on the pearl, "but given the rarity, it's a priceless find for James."

Bell added, "It's very round, its has a wonderful lustre - it's a beautiful pearl."

Humphries plans to keep the pearl.

"I'm thinking of getting the pearl made into a piece of jewelry -- possibly a little silver fish with the pearl for its eye," he said.