Sotheby’s has named the 555.55-carat black diamond – believed to have come from outer space – “The Engima.”
Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world, more likely from space, an AP report in The Peninsula says
Sotheby’s has named the 555.55-carat black diamond – believed to have come from outer space – “The Engima.”
The rare gem was shown off on Monday, January 17, to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned in February in London.
Sotheby’s expects the diamond to be sold for at least 5 million British pounds ($6.8 million). The auction house plans to accept cryptocurrency as a possible payment as well.
Sophie Stevens, a jewellery specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five is of important significance to the diamond, which has 55 facetsl.
“The shape of the diamond is based on the Middle-Eastern palm symbol of the Khamsa, which stands for strength and it stands for protection,” she said. Khamsa in Arabic means five.
“So there’s a nice theme of the number five running right through the diamond,” she added.
Stevens also said the black diamond is likely from outer space.
“With the carbonado diamonds, we believe that they were formed through extraterrestrial origins, with meteorites colliding with the Earth and either forming chemical vapour disposition or indeed coming from the meteorites themselves,” she said.
Black diamonds, also known as carbonado, are extremely rare, and are found naturally only in Brazil and Central Africa. The cosmic origin theory is based on their carbon isotopes and high hydrogen content.
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