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.
Investors are dumping stocks again as fears spread that the growing coronavirus outbreak will weigh down the global economy.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, February 27, 2020.
Lyft, which bought out the bike-share system in 2018, recalled the first batch of e-bikes in April 2019 due to a braking problem that caused multiple injuries and lawsuits.
Relying on crowdfunding and provisions of the 2012 JOBS Act, founder Vanessa Bryant is expanding her brand into teas and cafes.
Travel website Trivago's CEO Axel Hefer told Cheddar Tuesday the company has seen "quite a significant effect" on its markets across Asia.
Stocks rose solidly in early trading as investors regained an appetite for risk after two days of heavy losses. The sharp drops, which wiped out the market's gains for the year, were brought on by worries over economic fallout from the virus outbreak that originated in China.
Self-described "far-left," 26-year-old truck driver Joshua Collins is hoping to utilize the user base to support his run for Congress.
Investors plowed money into bonds, sending the yield on the 10-year Treasury to a record low. Mastercard joined a growing list of companies warning that the outbreak would hurt its finances.
Disney has named Bob Chapek CEO, replacing Bob Iger, effective immediately. The surprise announcement Tuesday makes Iger executive chairman. Chapek was most recently chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, told Cheddar Tuesday the U.S. is losing an average of $6,000-7,000 for each would-be Chinese visitor who opts not to, or is not allowed to, travel.
