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.
The porn industry in 2020 has come under scrutiny from media and politicians alike. Cheddar's Nora Ali takes a deep dive.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah objected to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian museums.
Gun and ammunition sales have surged this year in the U.S. Michelle Castillo investigates.
The Walt Disney Co. unveiled a galaxy’s worth of new streaming offerings on Thursday, including plans for 10 “Star Wars” series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+.
Johanna Faries, a vice president at gaming company Activision Blizzard and commissioner of Call of Duty League, joined Cheddar to discuss esports in the era of the pandemic.
While not exhaustive, this list reminds us that there can still be moments of happiness, even amidst a dumpster fire of a year like 2020.
Jill and Carlo end the week with the promising news that a coronavirus vaccine could be approved any minute, and the relay race that will follow. Also, an unprecedented attempt to overturn the election, another IPO stunner, Disney going HAM and the dish-pocalypse of 2020.
Get better sleep, improve productivity and boost overall happiness with a little help from these highly-rated mindfulness picks.
Airships were once believed to be the future of human flight, so why did they fall out of favor so quickly and which flaws ultimately made them a design disaster?
The U.S. is now losing more than 3,000 people a day as the FDA prepares to approve the first vaccine amid concerns over allergic reactions. Plus, the feds say Facebook is too big, and why we may be on the verge of a technological golden age.
