Pearl once owned by Kublai Khan on auction in capital

The pearl named Arco Valley is the " biggest of its size outside a museum" according to its present owner Khaled Ali Al Sayegh.

Reuters reported yesterday that the Abu Dhabi jeweller expected the pearl to fetch a solid $8 million.

The pearl which used to belong to Kublai Khan was given by him to Marco Polo as a present. Al Sayegh bought the 7.9 cm long pearl from a French person 12 days ago.

The white pearl with overtones of pink and brown is expected to be sold out within a week according to Al Sayegh who keeps the necessary certificates.

The world's largest pearl on record is the 'Pearl of Allah', found by a Muslim diver in the Philippines on May 7, 1934, off the coast of Palawan Island. The pearl is 9.4 inches long (24 cm).