An employee of Sotheby's Dubai presents a 555.55 Carat Black Diamond "The Enigma" to be auctioned at Sotheby's Dubai gallery, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world.
Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond — believed to have come from outer space — “The Enigma.” The rare gem was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned off 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 jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five bears an importance significance to the diamond, which has 55 facets as well.
“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 throughout 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 vapor 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.
On Monday, the FBI unveiled a report showing a 30 percent increase in homicides in 2020. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello looks into the bureau's numbers that show a steep increase in gun violence amid the growing pandemic.
According to LendingTree, over 196 million Americans used an on-demand delivery service within the last year. Cheddar breaks down why this trend is here to stay, and why so many Americans are actually overspending on these services.
Sandra Magallon, West Division Area Manager of Chase for Business, joins ChedHER to discuss the challenges that Hispanic entrepreneurs face, and what tools are out there to help these business owners.
Ramon Ray, Founder of SmartHustle.com, joins Cheddar to discuss how businesses have learned how to collaborate virtually during the pandemic, and tips for making remote work a success.
Cheddar is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting the history, culture, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. We're diving into issues that matter and shining a light on the amazing influence of the Hispanic culture. To celebrate this month, leading fabric and craft retailer, JOANN is launching its second annual Minority Creative Grant program to support Hispanic creatives. The program will provide grants totaling $100,000 to 20 Hispanic business owners in need of financial support. Anthony Davila, lead product designer with JOANN and Shautina Lilly, diversity and inclusion manager with JOANN joined us to talk about the program.
