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.
Elli Frank, founder and executive director of Mr. Bones & Co., joins Cheddar News to discuss Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and inspiration behind her nonprofit.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 13, 2022, with President Biden referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a genocide, a suspect has been identified in the Brooklyn subway shooting that injured 23 people, New York’s lieutenant governor has resigned due to bribery allegations, and more.
Vishen, author and founder of Mindvalley, joins Cheddar News to offer wellness tips and discuss how his platform aims to provide a mental health toolkit for users.
The latest on the Brooklyn subway shooting investigation, Biden calls the killings in Ukraine "genocide," and Britney Spears has some big news. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Chuck Marino CEO of the consultancy Sentinel Security Solutions, joined Cheddar News to discuss some of his insights into what law enforcement will be looking to do next in the search for the suspect in Tuesday's mass shooting on a Brooklyn subway train. "They're going to be relying to a certain extent on tips coming from the public as well as witnesses that were present this morning when the incident took place," he noted.
David Katz, a former federal agent with the Department of Justice, and currently founder, CEO, and owner of Global Security Group, joined Cheddar News to talk about the Tuesday mass shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn, N.Y. even as local authorities have so far stated it was not being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. "At this point between the commissioner of the NYPD and the governor of New York, they're almost saying, 'well, it's an active shooter incident.' Okay, but active shooter incidents can also be motivated by terrorism, so until we know motive, we can't make that conclusion at all," Katz said.
Fresh off of the CMT Awards, country singer Mickey Guyton joined Cheddar News to talk about the state of Black and women artists in country music, past and upcoming projects, and her partnership with 3M for its school zone safety initiative for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. “Now that I’m a mom, I always wondered why my mom was so crazy over us, but now I get it” Guyton said. “I hope that drivers start driving undistracted, like put our phones down! Pay attention to signs. When you see children slow down and make sure that they're safe."
According to Mark Zuckerberg, a select number of creators in Meta's Horizon Worlds will now have the option to sell virtual assets and experiences they create to other players for a profit.
