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Lucky Nester Franco couldn’t believe his eyes when he stuck a finger in his nose to remove an obstruction -- and pulled out a fully formed pearl!
“My wife is always asking me if I’m digging for gold up there,” says the drywall finisher from Conway, Ark.
“When I showed her the pearl, she fainted. When I had it appraised at $7,000, she fainted again!”
Both medical doctors and marine scientists are as amazed as the couple that a precious gem -- which, analysis proves, was formed from human mucus -- developed in Franco’s nose.
“Naturally occurring pearls require a precise combination of elements and relatively long periods of time to develop inside mollusks,” explains Miami-based marine biologist Dr. Gregory Hickens. “Technically, there’s no reason a pearl can’t develop in a hu-man in or around mucus-producing membranes.
“But needless to say, it’s quite rare.
“And to see one of such high quality come from a person’s nose is truly remarkable.”
Franco’s doctor, who, fearing a media onslaught, asked that his name not be used in reports, confirmed that the man had been battling an upper-respiratory infection for months before he found the pearl.
“Nester had a fever and sinus pressure,” says the doctor.
“Now we know his body created the pearl and then reacted as if it were an obstruction and an infection.”
Franco is planning to sell the huge gem and use the money to splurge a little.
“My old lady’s been begging for some new lawn furniture,” says Franco. “And I’ve had my eye on a bass boat.
“The jeweler who appraised the pearl called it ‘flawless’ and said it’s easily worth $6,000 to $7,000 on the open market.
“He also said if we find the right buyer, somebody who wants the pearl not just as a gem, but for its unusual background, we might get as much as $10,000 for it.”
As for Franco’s nose picking? “I’ve suffered with my sinuses for so long I’m not in a hurry to dig anything else out of there,” says Franco. “Pulling that darn thing from my nose just about killed me.”
Lucky Nester Franco couldn’t believe his eyes when he stuck a finger in his nose to remove an obstruction -- and pulled out a fully formed pearl!
“My wife is always asking me if I’m digging for gold up there,” says the drywall finisher from Conway, Ark.
“When I showed her the pearl, she fainted. When I had it appraised at $7,000, she fainted again!”
Both medical doctors and marine scientists are as amazed as the couple that a precious gem -- which, analysis proves, was formed from human mucus -- developed in Franco’s nose.
“Naturally occurring pearls require a precise combination of elements and relatively long periods of time to develop inside mollusks,” explains Miami-based marine biologist Dr. Gregory Hickens. “Technically, there’s no reason a pearl can’t develop in a hu-man in or around mucus-producing membranes.
“But needless to say, it’s quite rare.
“And to see one of such high quality come from a person’s nose is truly remarkable.”
Franco’s doctor, who, fearing a media onslaught, asked that his name not be used in reports, confirmed that the man had been battling an upper-respiratory infection for months before he found the pearl.
“Nester had a fever and sinus pressure,” says the doctor.
“Now we know his body created the pearl and then reacted as if it were an obstruction and an infection.”
Franco is planning to sell the huge gem and use the money to splurge a little.
“My old lady’s been begging for some new lawn furniture,” says Franco. “And I’ve had my eye on a bass boat.
“The jeweler who appraised the pearl called it ‘flawless’ and said it’s easily worth $6,000 to $7,000 on the open market.
“He also said if we find the right buyer, somebody who wants the pearl not just as a gem, but for its unusual background, we might get as much as $10,000 for it.”
As for Franco’s nose picking? “I’ve suffered with my sinuses for so long I’m not in a hurry to dig anything else out of there,” says Franco. “Pulling that darn thing from my nose just about killed me.”
