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.
Tesla's board of directors will reportedly hold a meeting next week with investors to discuss the possibility of taking the company private. The board may urge CEO Elon Musk to recuse himself from the talks.
Samsung showed off its new Galaxy Note 9 smartphone at its Samsung Unpacked event in New York Thursday. The Note 9 comes equipped with double the storage of any other smartphone on the market and a camera that automatically tells you if the picture is blurry.
And we're joined by actor Luke Evans, who is lending his voice to a new audio experience from Stella Artois. He talks about how he stays in the moment and cherishes his 'me time.'
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In an election year when a record number of women are running for Congress, one of New York's two Democratic Senators says women voices ー and their votes ー "couldn't be more important." Senator Gillibrand also told Cheddar's Hope King that women should lead the opposition to Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.
These are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, Aug. 10.
The gamer communications hub, with 150 million users, will sell indie titles curated by its staff in a new online storefront. "We have a lot of people here that love playing games and have really great taste, and so we're gonna pick out stuff we think is worth your time," says CEO Jason Citron.
By reserving an Oscar for blockbusters, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making an artificial distinction that misses what's special about many movies, says Entertainment Weekly's Jessica Derschowitz. "Good movies can be popular, popular movies can be good," she says.
The New York City Council has pumped the brakes on ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft. However, Uber drivers like Aziz Bah are celebrating the cap and the new minimum wage rate for drivers.
Roku is offering online and OTT viewers of its own channel fewer ads than linear TV, says Rob Holmes, the vice president of programming and engagement. The platform will also have "Featured Free" content from partners including ABC, Fox, and the CW.
Music mogul Wyclef Jean wants to be the first rapper to innovate a hip-hop guitar. Jean looks to Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine as music innovators, and hopes to mirror their technical success in the industry.
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