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.
A city of about 150,000 just in northern Los Angeles County is preparing for the spread of the novel coronavirus by teaming up with the local aerospace companies to create ventilator substitutes and preparing an ordinance that would require wearing masks, according to Mayor R. Rex Parris.
The former CEO of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., says some restaurants simply won't survive the coronavirus outbreak.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he hopes the new Health Corps will increase the number of healthcare workers by thousands as the state prepares for an overwhelmed healthcare system.
Dr. Christopher Wiles, a resident physician at the University of Connecticut, is turning his hobby into a potential way to offset a shortage of personal protective equipment in hospitals dealing with COVID-19.
Cheddar's Jill Wagner looks into how keeping to a routine can help for those working from home during the era of social distancing.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Cheddar looks into how to go about trying to get a refund for travel and accomodations that needed to be canceled due to the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak.
Restaurants are getting creative with private solutions as they hope to continue doing business, even while most of them are physically closed to the public, but the potential for saving most of these businesses may be a long shot.
Healthcare workers have launched their own campaigns for gathering personal protective equipment as they fight the coronavirus on the frontlines, with #GetUsPPE trending across social media.
When Mary Ann Kelly, 62, passed away from cancer in March, her family took solace in the fact that she’d be buried on her favorite holiday. But as the day drew nearer, the coronavirus outbreak worsened and the local diocese announced that in-person masses would have to be canceled.
