That would have been really unfortunate!!
Raw is better for your pearl-- cooking doesn't do anything good for pearls.
It's very cool finding a natural pearl! I certainly have never found one. However, it's not something you would likely sell, being small and not being iridescent. It's not something the average person would want to make jewelry from. But it's surely a conversation piece. Some people who find little pearls like these put them in a small cage pendant, or a little bottle to display.