A Sotheby’s Dubai employee presents the 555.55-carat black diamond “The Enigma” for auction at Sotheby’s Dubai Gallery
Highlight
- The rare gem was shown to journalists on Monday as part of a tour of Dubai and Los Angeles
- The number five holds a significant significance for the diamond, which also has 55 facets.
- A jewelery expert said that the black diamond is likely to come from outer space
Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that is literally out of this world.
The 555.55-carat black diamond – believed to have come from outer space – is “The Enigma,” according to Sotheby’s. The rare gem was shown to reporters on Monday as part of a tour of Dubai and Los Angeles before being auctioned off in London in February.
Sotheby’s expects the diamond to be sold for at least 5 million British pounds ($6.8 million). The auction house is also planning to accept cryptocurrency as a possible form of payment.
Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five holds a significant significance for a diamond, which also has 55 facets.
“The diamond shape is based on the Middle-Eastern palm symbol of Khamsa, which stands for strength and it stands for protection,” she said. Khamsa in Arabic means five.
“So there’s a nice theme to number five running throughout the diamond,” she said.
Stevens also said that the black diamond is likely to come from outer space.
“With carbonado diamonds, we believe they were formed through extraterrestrial origins, meteorites hitting Earth and either creating chemical vapor dispositions or actually coming from meteorites themselves,” she said.
Black diamonds, also known as carbonados, are extremely rare and found only in Brazil and Central Africa. The theory of cosmic origin is based on their carbon isotopes and high hydrogen content.
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