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.
Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, has donated over $40 million to news outlets such as Mother Jones and ProPublica that support investigative journalism. "This is my war," he told Cheddar.
Brian Truitt, entertainment writer for USA Today, said Damien Chazelle's 'First Man,' starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, is the one to watch going into the important autumn movie season.
Skip was one of two scooter companies chosen for San Francisco's pilot program for dockless rentals. While larger competitor Lime, whose application was rejected, criticized the decision, Skip CEO Sanjay Dastoor said his company actually has more experience than Lime and alluded to the slew of complaints levied against his rival.
After a recent report claiming that Andrew Cuomo accepted undisclosed donations from cannabis companies, many are suspicious of the gubernatorial incumbent who is seeking re-election against actress Cynthia Nixon, a political newcomer. Alyson Martin, a co-founder of CannabisWire, which published the report, told Cheddar on Friday that she thinks the news is an indication that Cuomo may be softening his stance on marijuana.
Maryann Turcke, the COO of the NFL, is the highest ranking woman in professional sports leadership. She talks to Cheddar about gender inequality in the industry and what she's doing to reach a younger audience that's cutting the cord.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Amazon put out a statement refuting Bernie Sander's position that its workers were underpaid and overworked. Brian Heater, a hardware editor at TechCrunch, thinks the nearly $1 trillion company can withstand it.
In its pick of two small start-ups over Bird, Lime, Uber, and Lyft, San Francisco sent a signal that the most valuable mobility companies' "launch first, ask questions later" approach is catching up to them. Scoot Global and Skip were chosen because they said they would keep riders off the sidewalks and would provide services to low-income residents. Meanwhile, Santa Monica announced that it would open its shared mobility pilot program to e-scooters from Uber, Lyft, Bird, and Lime.
Amy Nelson, founder of the Riveter, tries to imagine a scenario in which a female CEO would be praised for crying in an interview.
After criticism from the French tennis federation that her much-loved "catsuit" was disrespectful to the sport, Serena Williams took the court at the U.S. Open in a tutu -- and blew open a conversation long-asked in offices everywhere: just what is "work appropriate attire"? Vanessa Friedman, fashion critic for the New York Times, said it's about time.
