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The Pearl of Lao Tzu, often referred to as the Pearl of Allah, is the largest known pearl in the world, measuring ten inches in diameter and weighing 6.4 kilograms (14.1 lb) or 128,000 pearl grains.^[1]

Contents 1 Discovery and current history 2 Chinese legend of the pearl 3 References 4 See also

The pearl was extracted from a giant clam off the coast of Palawan, on 7 May 1934 by a Muslim Filipino diver. Wilburn Cobb, the son of an American mining engineer, spent his boyhood in the Philippines. In 1934 while he was hunting in the Philippines near a fishing village, he was a witness to a native diver who had been seized by the jaws of a giant clam, which in turn contained an enormous pearl with the image of a turbaned face thought to resemble Mohammad. The Muslim tribal chief labeled the treasure "The Pearl of Allah". At the time of discovery of the pearl, Cobb offered to buy the pearl from the tribal chief. The tribal chief rejected the offer saying that nothing paid for by the sacrifice of a human life could be bought with money. Cobb returned to the village two years later to find the chief's son dying of malaria. Cobb saved his life and as a token of gratitude the chief gave the pearl to Mr. Cobb.^[2]

In 1939, Cobb returned to America with the largest pearl in the world. In New York City the pearl was authenticated by Dr. Roy Waldo Miner of the American Museum of Natural History. Victor Barbish learned of The Pearl in the 1970's and had offered to purchase The Pearl from Mr. Cobb for $5 million dollars and was refused. A year later Mr. Barbish and his partners Henry Kyle, Robert Pease, Johnny Weissmuller, and Rudy Vallee, offered Mr. Cobb $10 million dollars and again he rejected the offer. Mr. Cobb told Mr. Barbish that no amount of money could buy something whose value is priceless.

After Cobb's death in 1980, his family sold the pearl to Peter Hoffman, a jeweler in Beverly Hills, for US $200,000 through probate court. Headlines across the world's newspaper hailed it as a bargain considering its fame and appraisal by famed pearl dealer Lee Sparrow and his San Francisco Gem Laboratory for $4,200,000 at the time of the sale. Appraisals since have valued the pearl from $42,000,000 to $59,000,000 based on it being a unique world treasure. Victor Barbish acquired half ownership from Hoffman at the time of the sale in 1980. He purchased the pearl for his daughter, Gina Diane Barbish.

In 1983 another descendant of the Lee Family contacted Mr. Barbish's partner, a former CIA agent by the name of Lewis Maxwell, to meet with Mr. Barbish. Mr. Barbish was introduced to Mr. Lee in Pasadena, California. They talked over dinner for nearly six hours about the Pearl of Lao-Tse. The following day Mr. Lee viewed the pearl at Security Pacific Bank. Mr. Lee was in awe of finally being able to see The Pearl of Lao-Tse that was the fathomless legend foretold throughout his families' history. He offered to purchase the Pearl of Lao Tzu. Mr. Barbish initially rejected the offer. Mr. Lee expressed his sincere gratitude for the opportunity to view the pearl. Mr. Lee returned to China, and Mr. Barbish never heard from him again.

In 1985, Barbish borrowed monies from Joe Bonicelli using his interest in the pearl as collateral. Hoffman and S. Mort Zimmerman, of Dallas Texas, who had California Federal Court money judgement against Barbish, each filed motions opposing the transaction between Barbish and Bonicelli with the Colorado Federal Court. The Court ordered the U.S. Marshal Service to seize the pearl from Bonicelli who had hidden the pearl in an undisclosed bank. After a lengthy court battle, Federal Judge Finesilver ordered a resolution to be agreed upon by all parties. As a result, the Federal Court Ordered that Hoffman is 1/3 owner with control over the pearl, Barbish is 2/3 owner of the pearl with the provision that he pay S. Mort Zimmerman, approximately $2 million (as of May 2006) when the pearl is sold. Zimmerman would also have control over the pearl until paid. After paying Zimmerman first, Barbish must pay the Bonicelli Estate 1/3 of gross proceeds from the sale of the pearl as compensation for the loan from Joseph Bonicelli to Barbish.

This is where the history turns bloody. The pearl is now part of the largest wrongful death judgment in Colorado history after a jury recently awarded $32.4 million to Bonicelli's adult children, who sued over the 1975 death of their mother in a contract killing.^[2] After Bonicelli's death in 1998, police said they determined that the decades-old killing was done at his behest. The Colorado Springs barber who was convicted of killing Bonicelli's wife also was convicted of killing the wife of another man whom Bonicelli had introduced to the barber. Bonicelli's children want the pearl sold so they can be paid the settlement they won against their father's estate. They plan to use the money to establish a foundation in their mother's name to help abused women and children.

Over the years Mr. Barbish received various offers to purchase the pearl. One of the initial offers was presented by Mohammad Ben, a Lybian businessman, on behalf of three Mid-East investors. Mr. Barbish was led to believe these were legitimate business men who were willing to purchase the pearl for $40 million. Mr. Barbish received a deposit of $12 million but subsequently found out the buyers included a drug dealer and an illegitimate arms dealer. Mr. Barbish rejected the sale and returned the deposit.

Subsequent offers to purchase the pearl were made by an intermediary of Ferdinand Marcos, then president of the Philippines. The president's fall from power made the sale impossible. Mr. Barbish was also approached by Mohammand Faed, who was reportedly a representative of Saddam Hussein.^[3] Latif Faed, who was believed to represent Bin Laden, also approached Mr. Barbish to purchase the pearl.

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According to Chinese legend, and stated from China's highly respected Li (Lee) family, the pearl has great spiritual meaning and a fathomless origin.

In 1939, while The Pearl was on display in Robert Ripley's Museum in New York, an elderly Hong Kong merchant named Mr. Lee, requested permission to come to the museum to examine The Pearl. Both Wilburn Cobb, the owner of the pearl at that time, and Ripley agreed to Mr. Lee's visit. Mr. Lee, a direct descendant of Lao-Tse, held the pearl in his hands. He examined the pearl with intense scrutiny, and then tears began flowing from the man's eyes. When he regained his composure he acknowledged that the jewel was the long-lost Pearl of Lao Tzu that disappeared in a typhoon.

Mr. Lee told the factual history of The Pearl, heard many times from his elders. He told Mr. Cobb that when his ancient ancestor, Lao Tzu, became very old he was weary of the unceasing evils of mankind, and he resolved to spend his final years far from civilization. As he prepared to depart, he handed to a nephew a small amulet upon which the philosopher had carved representations of the faces of Buddha, Confucius and himself - the historical Three Friends. It was Lao Tzu's original mission of creation to find a path and way for peace. He told his nephew to place the amulet securely in a clam and wait four years. Doing as he was told would bring great wealth and fortune to his family, and so it did. The Li family amassed great fortunes as successful merchants. Lao Tzu, also a naturalist, provided his nephew with a method to prevent the clam's rejection of such an intrusion. Lao Tzu's instructions were to start the legendary pearl that would symbolize Lao Tzu's "WAY" of life. Thus the pearl, containing its sacred amulet, was handed down from generation to generation growing larger and larger as it was transplanted into Tridacna clams of ever increasing size until the pearl reached its present size.

Legend tells how a bowl of vinegar was given to Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu. Confucius tasted the vinegar and said it tasted sour. Buddha said it was bitter, and Lao Tzu said it tasted sweet. There will always be opposites of taste and opinion in all human beings. The pearl has engravings and symbols of all three men, opposites in taste but whose purpose united in one symbol to be an example of how to learn to live respectfully and united harmoniously for peace.

The Pearl of Lao Tzu is said to have influenced China's history. During the waning years of the Sui Dynasty, a direct descendant of Lao Tzu, named Lee, the proprietor of the pearl at the time, was awakened one night by a tapping on his front gate. Opening it he was greeted by a young boy about ten years of age that was in need of shelter and food. He stayed at Lee's home, and on the third day, Lee had a dream in which the pearl spoke to him. The message: "He whom you are protecting is one who will make his father the first Emperor of a new Dynasty and will himself become the real power behind the throne. In time he himself will become the second Emperor. It will be a reign distinguished by a more humane attitude than has prevailed heretofore. But the boy must proceed with caution." The message came from the three sages in the Pearl. Lee swore the boy to secrecy, showed him the pearl, telling him of its beginning, and recounting the dream and the message that had come to him as he slept. The boy's hame was Li Shih-Min, the son of Li Yuan, Duke of Tang. The boy listened and believed, and modeled his life so that in 618 A.D. Li Shih-Min's father, Li Yuan, became Emperor T'ang Kao Tsu, the first Li Emperor. Li Shih-Min succeeded his father in 627 A.D., became Emperor T'ang T'ai Tsung, and the world's recognized founder of the great Tang Dynasty.^[3]

The Emperor T'ang T'ai Tsung returned one more time to visit Lee to not only thank the man who took him in and communicated the Pearl's message - words which conveyed his family into royalty - but to have Lee's blessing for the selection of an artist to paint the great pearl. The aging Lee gave his permission and recommended a young artist. The resulting work was of such character that paper rubbings of the pearl became popular as New Year's greetings between friends and loved ones. One such rubbing, although of reduced quality due to age, has been preserved in the Li family archives.

As wars were fought over possession of this pearl the Lee family decided to hide it by shipping the pearl to Palawan, Philippines and keeping it inside a giant clam which was held close to the shore by a net. A typhoon during the Ming dynasty tore the pearl and the clam away from the netting and it was lost.

• Photo of Barbish holding the pearl
• http://www.imperial-deltah.com/education/famous_pearls.htm ^{[this source's reliability may need verification]}
• http://www.pearlofallah.com/