Beiruting News

One diner found her meal had extra crunch this week when she found 50 pearls inside the baked oyster she was feasting on.

Toni Elliot, 53, thought she had hurt a tooth when she sat for dinner at Puckett's Boat House in Franklin, Tennessee, on Thursday.

However, when she spat out the mouthful she was chewing she discovered a pearl in the palm of her hand. Forty-nine precious stones followed.

Instead of being horrified by the bizarre discovery, Elliot reportedly remained calm and even posed for photos with her treasure afterwards.

As naturally-occurring pearls are rare, it's expected that Elliot's stash could fetch a princely sum.

Eric Horton, who was serving Elliot at the time, said he couldn't believe what he saw happening.

He swiftly grabbed a container to collect the pearls up from Eliot's dinner plate.

Recalling the incident, he told WSMV News: 'It happens sometimes, every once in a while.

'However, this young lady continued to pull pearls out of her mouth, and the only thing we were missing was a string because she found 50 pearls in this one oyster.'