Southold man finds pearl in Peconic Bay little neck clam

If you were chowing down on steamed little neck clams and bit into something hard, you might think a pebble found its way into the shell.

But after Southold resident Stanley Siejka dunked a clam into butter Thursday afternoon and started to chew, he discovered a pearl.

“I felt something very strange that did not belong with the clam,” said Mr. Siejka, who harvested the clam last week from Peconic Bay around New Suffolk. “I couldn’t believe it was a pearl. I think it’s kind of rare to find one in a little neck clam.”

When asked what he planned to do with the pearl, Mr. Siejka said he’s going to hang on to it.

“It’s now my lucky charm,” he said.