Lucky employees in an oyster manufacturing plant found three shiny pearls while shucking the mollusks in Thailand.

Namfon La-nirad, 43, owner of an oyster farm in Chonburi province, said she was preparing the edible sea creatures when she found the precious stones embedded in their soft flesh on September 16.

She said: 'It was the third pearl we've found this week. I saw that other people in the news had also found pearls so I thought this might be one too.

'If they are genuine, we will probably sell them for cash.'

The pearls were later verified as genuine.

Another Thai seafood-lover also found a genuine pearl inside a sea snail while eating at a birthday celebration last month.

The value of a pearl depends on its type and size. A naturally occurring pearl is considered more valuable as they are rarer compared to cultured pearls, which are also genuine but cultivated artificially.

Pearls are formed by triggering the natural defence mechanism of shellfish such as oysters or mussels. When a foreign object such as a parasite enters the animals' shell, they secrete compounds called aragonite and conchiolin to encase and isolate the irritant.