Thu 10 February 2022:
After just going on exhibit for the first time, “The Enigma,” the world’s largest known cut diamond at 555 carats, went under the hammer in London on Wednesday for 3.16 million pounds ($4.3 million, 3.8 million euros).
The unique black diamond, also known as carbanado, is thought to have been formed when a meteorite or asteroid collided with Earth more than 2.6 billion years ago.
At an online auction sponsored by London’s famed Sotheby’s auction house, the 555.55 carat, 55-faced diamond sold for £3.16 million pounds, excluding the buyer’s premium.
Carbonados are generally found near the surface of the Earth, implying extraterrestrial origins.
According to the auction house, “It is thought that this specific type of black diamond was created either from meteoric impacts producing natural chemical vapour deposition or an extraterrestrial origin — from supernovae explosions that formed diamond-bearing asteroids which ultimately collided with the Earth.”
The diamond, one of the most hardest materials to cut, has never been shown by its unknown owner in the previous 20 years.
The unpolished diamond was transformed into a 55-face jewel by experts over the course of three years, and it was recently displayed in Dubai, Los Angeles, and London.
Its design was inspired by the Khamsa, a palm-shaped symbol of power and protection from the Middle East that is also linked to the number five.
#AuctionUpdate “The Enigma”: This 555.55 carat Black Diamond sold today for £3,161,000 / $4,292,322. The buyer has opted to use cryptocurrency for the purchase. #SothebysJewels pic.twitter.com/ZuiL9SxET8
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) February 9, 2022
“The Enigma’s price did not quite reach intergalacticlevels. But what cannot be denied is that the Enigma is a diamond with unparallelled bragging rights,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of Europe’s largest online jeweller, the Mayfair.
“The size, shape and source of the Enigma diamond make it groundbreaking and amazing,” he added. “Most diamonds are cut into one of 10 popular shapes but the Enigma’s form resembles a hand.”
The Enigma is not a gem-quality diamond, and carbonados are rarely used in jewelry or auctioned, although they have recently gained in popularity.
Because of their extreme hardness, they are commonly utilized in industrial drilling.
The diamond was dubbed a “cosmic wonder” by Sotheby’s ahead of the auction, which also took crypto-currency bids.
The Key 10138 diamond was sold for $12.33 million in Hong Kong last year, and the price was paid in cryptocurrency.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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