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.
Canada will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is writing what his publisher is calling an “intimate and heartfelt memoir.” The book, currently untitled, is expected to come out late in 2022.
Pacific Gas & Electric says its equipment may have been involved in the start of the big Dixie Fire burning in the Sierra Nevada.
German officials defended their actions ahead of last week’s devastating floods that caught many towns by surprise and left 196 people dead in Western Europe, but they conceded that lessons still need to be learned from the disaster.
Jill and Carlo are back for a new week as Canada overtakes the U.S. in vaccinations and the White House blames Facebook for our rate plateauing. Plus, Team USA loses another top athlete ahead of the Olympics.
Smoke and heat from the massive wildfire in southeastern Oregon are creating so-called fire clouds over the blaze.
Emergency workers in western German and Belgium are rushing to rescue hundreds of people in danger or still unaccounted for as the death toll from devastating floods rose to more than 125 people.
Cheddar recs 'Black Summer,' 'The Komisky Method,' 'Gunpowder Milkshake,' 'Star Wars: The Bad Batch,' and 'Power Book III,' for streaming the weekend of July 16, 2021.
Jill and Carlo debate the new Los Angeles County mask mandate. Severe flooding sweeps through Germany, who bailed out on Bezos' spaceflight, a major medical breakthrough and more.
Actor and investor Ashton Kutcher revealed he wasn't going to be making his Virgin Galactic trip into space after discussion with his fellow celeb wife Mila Kunis.
