Editor’s Note
This article explores the remarkable sale of “The Enigma,” a 555.5-carat black diamond that fetched €3.75 million. Beyond its staggering size and value, the stone’s mysterious cosmic origins make it a true geological wonder.
This black diamond was sold for 3.75 million euros.
Weighing as much as a chocolate bar but worth millions more: the black diamond “The Enigma”.
555.5 carats or 111.11 grams: That is the weight of “The Enigma”, a black diamond auctioned by Sotheby’s for several million euros. What makes this gemstone special is not just its size – but also its origin.
At the sight of a five-carat engagement ring, most of us are already quite amazed. The idea that there could be diamonds weighing 100 times that seems almost unimaginable. However, a recent auction by the traditional auction house Sotheby’s reveals entirely new dimensions. We present: The Enigma. A black diamond with 555.5 carats and 55 facets, i.e., smooth polished sides, which was sold for a hefty 3.161 million British pounds (approximately 3.75 million euros) to an anonymous buyer.
described Nikita Binani, jewelry expert at Sotheby’s in London, the gemstone in a press release. No wonder, because The Enigma is a rarity among rarities. The 111.11-gram stone is considered the largest black diamond discovered to date. In 2006, it even entered the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the largest cut diamond in the world. And now, The Enigma is also the largest cut diamond ever sold at auction.
For the formation of a diamond, one thing is primarily needed: carbon. When immense pressure and high temperatures act on this chemical element, its structure is modified, forming crystals. Most diamonds formed millions of years ago beneath the Earth’s crust. However, with the variety of black diamonds, something extraterrestrial might be behind it.
So-called “carbonados” like The Enigma can contain impurities such as osbornite – a rare mineral found in meteorites. These impurities are responsible for the black coloration of the stones. Furthermore, these diamonds, which are on average about 2.6 to 3.8 billion years old, have so far only been found in Brazil and Central Africa – two regions that were likely once connected as part of the supercontinent Rodinia and where meteorites most probably struck in the past.
The cosmic “carbonado” diamond was exhibited with small astronaut figures.
Researchers therefore assume that the auctioned gemstone was formed by the collision of an asteroid with our planet. Adding more weight to the theory: Carbonado diamonds additionally contain hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, as well as nitrogen, another element found outside Earth.
The world-famous auction house had initially exhibited the black gemstone in Dubai at the beginning of the year, then in Los Angeles, and finally in London. Previously, not much was known about The Enigma: Its previous owner had neither publicly shown the carbonado diamond nor offered it on the market for 20 years. According to Nikita Binani, the auction therefore represented “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the rarest, multi-billion-year-old, cosmic wonders.”
Experts estimated that “The Enigma” would sell for at least 5 million euros.
Between February 2 and 9, 2022, interested parties could participate in the auction online. There were two special features. First: The auction proceeded without a reserve price. Here, the one with the highest bid automatically won – regardless of whether the price matched the actual value of the auction item or the seller’s expectations or not.
Second: The auction accepted not only conventional means of payment but also cryptocurrencies. How the winner will pay has not been disclosed by Sotheby’s at this time. The British news service “BBC News” had previously reported that experts expected the black diamond to fetch at least 4.4 million British pounds (approximately 5.2 million euros).