NYC jewelry store lets customers fish for their own pearls

A new jewelry store in SoHo is letting its customers fish for their pearls.

The store is called "Pearl & The Beast", located on Howard Street in SoHo.

Once you walk downstairs, a pearl wonderland awaits, and you get to design your own jewelry!

Image 1 of 5

 

Pearl & The Beast lets you choose your own mussel, chuck it open, and extract the pearls. 

The business was created by Krystal Chen, who came up with the idea at 23-years-old.

Chen owns the first and only mussel shop in the country, working with two local mussel farms. 

She gets mussels delivered at least once a week.

One fresh catch of the day is $70-$80 per mussel, depending on what the type is.

Mussel types:

Image 1 of 4

The classic pearl

Classic: The most popular type. It has 15 to 30 pearls.

Edison: One giant pearl, usually used for a big necklace. 

Weirdo: Lives up to its name and has one to 9 pearls.

If you happen to get a mussel that washes up empty, you can pick another, or you'll get 15 pearls free of charge. Even though there is a sign that says:

"Opening a mussel is like the lottery, once the mussel has been opened, no refund or exchange unless there is no pearl found."

Here are the earrings that FOX 5 NY's Christal Young made: 

To learn more about Pearl & The Beast click here.