WHEN a 77-year-old Weymouth woman had her monthly treat of oysters from her local fishmongers she found an extra little surprise in her seafood, a small white pearl.

Esmee Nicholls and her husband Roger are retired and living in Weymouth. Once a month they take a trip into town to Weyfish in the town, where they pick up a fresh crab and some oysters as their monthly treat, instead of going out for a meal.

While her husband prepared the crab for their tea, Mrs Nicholls enjoyed three oysters for her lunch. She said: "I had the first two and they were fine but I ate the third one and felt something hard in my mouth.

"I thought my husband must have left a bit of shell or grit in there but when I spat it out it was a lily white pearl.

"I went back to Weyfish the following day and showed them the pearl and he was shocked.

"He said that in 40 years nobody has ever found a pearl in one of their oysters.

"I'm very interested in pearls anyway because I have a pearl and a couple of little diamonds in my engagement ring. They say that pearls mean tears but I have been married 50-odd years.

The oysters are farmed just outside of the Crab House Cafe on Portland. Weyfish use these oysters because they are local and fresh.

Tim Withers, manager at Weyfish, said: "I've probably only seen it a couple of times in 16 years so it is very rare.

"Normally what happens is a bit of grit somehow gets inside the oyster and then the oyster tries to clean it out and as the bit of grit moves around the inside of the shell it gathers more and more of the inside of the oyster shell and builds up like a snowball."

Neil Strudwick, owner of Goldcrest Jewellers in Dorchester, said that the odds of finding a pearl in an oyster naturally is about 12,000/1.

He said: "The worth of the pearl would depend on its size, colour and the quality of the pearl itself.

"It's quite a nice surprise to get one locally because in cold British waters it's even rarer.

"We would be quite happy to put it in a necklace for her if she would like."