Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond believed to be from outer space. Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond “Enigma.” As part of a tour for journalists in Dubai and Los Angeles, they were able to view the stunning diamond before it is due to be auctioned off in February in London.
They expect the diamond to be sold for at least 5 million British pounds ($6.8 million); cryptocurrency may also be a form of payment.
Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five bears an important significance to the diamond, which has 55 facets.
“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.
She also added that 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 are extremely rare and are found naturally only in Brazil and Central Africa.
