Couple's incredible $800k find during romantic beach stroll
A couple’s romantic stroll along a beach in Thailand has become life-changing after they stumbled upon a precious substance that could be worth around $792,345.
Veera Juengboon, 31 and his wife Monruedee, 26, travelled to Phuket, to see a friend when they noticed a yellowish lump on the beach.
The mass was covered in a pile of trash that washed up on the beach last month.
Mr Juengboon enjoys watching science documentaries and recognised the substance from shows he had seen before.
It resembled ambergris, a rare secretion from whales that floats in the ocean - often for decades - and can be used as an expensive ingredient in perfume.
The excited husband told his wife about it and they carried the 15kg rock back to their hotel room, where they started examining it.
Mr Juengboon lit a small part of the mass using a lighter and it melted quickly, suggesting it was ambergris.
The appearance of the substance was soft, smooth, and waxy - which further convinced the couple.
The couple almost sold the rare substance through social media, but they decided to keep it in the meantime.
When news emerged last month that a fisherman in Nakhon Si Thammarat had found a similar item, the couple decided that they would look for a buyer.
On December 21, Mr Juengboon called reporters to announce he and his wife had found a piece of ambergris and that they are ready to sell it.
“One person contacted me when we posted a video of the rock social media. They asked if they could buy it but we said no,” Mr Juengboon said.
“I feel very lucky to have discovered the whale ambergris. I've tested it a few times and I'm sure it's real.”
Depending on the quality, ambergris, found be worth roughly $AUD52,000 per kilogram, so the couple could be looking at making just under $800,000.
Australscope
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