Rhode Island lovebirds who found a pearl inside a clam and turned it into an engagement ring are one step closer to lifelong bliss, they shared with USA TODAY. Ken Steinkamp and Sandy Sikorski ...

Getty A couple who found a pearl inside a clam while on a date years ago has turned the gemstone into a precious piece of jewelry. Ken Steinkamp and Sandy Sikorski were dining at a Rhode Island ...

The jeweler told her the 9.8-millimeter pearl comes from a mercenaria or hard clam. The jeweler wanted the couple to work with Marc Fishbone from Black Orchid Jewelers, whom Sikorski knew already.

On Aug. 9, while dining at a local seafood spot called Salt Air, he found something unexpected: a purple pearl in his clam appetizer. “I was the one mostly eating the clams and towards the end ...

A clam would need to go untouched for nearly half a century to make a pearl this size. “This has a really nice luster,” Steinkamp said. “That’s what caught my eye. It’s rare to get one.” ...

Sandy Sikorski and Ken Steinkamp were enjoying clams at a Waverly, Rhode Island, restaurant, when Sikorski shucked, slurped, then spit out a stunning surprise. A perfectly shaped oval pearl.

Sandra “Sandy” Sikorski found a pearl in a plate of clams she was savoring with her fiance Ken Steinkamp at a Westerly restaurant. The couple made it the centerstone of her engagement ring.