Woman finds pearl in oyster at Morrisville restaurant, feels it's direct message from universe

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Cary woman is really making the world her oyster.

Freda Bryant went to Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville and got an exciting surprise in her food. She and her daughter -- coming from a doctor's appointment -- ordered some oysters.

"I'm eating the oyster and I go 'Oh my god, my tooth came out!'" Bryant said. "Then, she's like 'Mom really, that's a pearl'...It's like one in 10,000 chances of this happening."

She's right. Only about one in 10,000 wild oysters produce a pearl.

According to research institute Texas Sea Grant, Pearls are formed when an irritant, like a grain of sand, enters the oyster shell. The oyster then coats it with layers of nacre. Since these layers are thin, it can take two to three years to form a 3 to 5-mm pearl.

Pearls sold in stores are cultured, which means humans insert an irritant into the oyster to make a pearl.

Bryant said finding the pearl feels like a direct message from the universe to keep moving forward positively in her life.

She'll be getting the pearl appraised soon, Bryant said, to find out how much it's worth.