auction
Diamond “Enigma” auctioned for around 3.7 million euros
The 555.55 carat diamond was auctioned off. Photo: Kamran Jebreili/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A rare black stone – as enigmatic as its name. The auction house Sotherby in London was able to sell it for a lot of money.
A rare and particularly large black diamond has sold at an auction in London for the equivalent of around 3.7 million euros. Sotheby’s announced on Wednesday that the 555.55-carat “Enigma” stone was the largest cut diamond ever to be auctioned.
The buyer therefore wanted to pay with cryptocurrency. The Carbonado is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world.
In addition to the size, the origin of the natural-colored gemstone is also a rarity, the auction house said. Unlike most diamonds, which are formed deep within the earth at high temperatures and under great pressure, carbonados occur in sedimentary deposits near or on the earth’s surface. This and their particular composition point to possible extraterrestrial origins, either from meteorite impacts or from diamond-bearing asteroids colliding with Earth, it said.