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.
After 236 sold-out Broadway performances, Bruce Springsteen is still "Born to Run"ー all the way to Netflix. Thom Zimny, the Emmy Award-winning producer and director of "Springsteen on Broadway," told Cheddar on Monday that he didn't just want to retell Springsteen's story, but "create a film that captured this magical thing ー the theatrical space."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018.
A study released on Monday found a dramatic increase in vaping among teenagers ー after a second study found that the increasingly popular habit comes with not-insignificant health risks. "Vaping appears to be less harmful than smoking, but then again smoking kills half of the people who do it long-term. So, again, it's a low bar to be safer than smoking," Rachel Becker, a reporter with the Verge, told Cheddar on Monday.
Cargo is essentially an in-car vending machine ー a box containing snacks and personal items for purchase installed on the center console of some Uber and Lyft vehicles. According to CEO Jeff Cripe, since so many riders were dividing their Uber and Lyft fares with Venmo, it made sense to make Venmo the payment option for their in-car purchases. Now, Venmo-happy millennials can purchase Cargo items through the app during their rides.
2019 is set to be a blockbuster year for tech IPOs. In preparation for the new year and all the public debuts it will bring, we're counting down the most likely and buzz-worthy candidates.
Not only has New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed his stance on marijuana, but he's also expediting his timeline for legalization. According to Joseph Spector, the Albany bureau chief for USA Today, the Cuomo committed to an accelerated schedule on Monday when he charted the agenda for his first 100 days in office.
WillCalled is the latest dating app on the block that is centered around events. Ken Madson and Lex Lipsitz, co-founders of WillCalled, joined Cheddar to discuss how it works and how it stands out from other popular apps like Bumble and Tinder.
Colin Kroll, the founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, was found dead in his New York City apartment on Sunday of a suspected drug overdose. He was 34. Kroll's HQ Trivia was called the future of mobile gaming, the future of game shows, even the future of TV. Before his death, there seemed nowhere to go but up.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether foreigners illegally funneled money to President Trump's inaugural committee to buy influence over American policy. Bomb threats emailed to multiple locations across the country deemed non-credible by the FBI. For the first time ever, the number of streaming shows has surpassed the number of basic cable and broadcast shows. From now until December 31st, users of the dating app Hinge can get a buy-one, get-one free meal at Chipotle to enjoy with their date.
