Long-established British auction house Sotheby’s is offering crypto payments options in exchange for an extraordinary 555.55-carat black diamond believed to come from outer space. Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ether, and USDC can be used to pay for the auction.
Called “The Enigma,” the extremely rare diamond is believed to be blasted to Earth millions of years ago from outer space, according to experts at Sotheby’s auction. They wrote:
“To have a natural faceted black diamond of this size is an extremely rare occurrence and its origins are shrouded in mystery – thought to have been created either from a meteoric impact or having actually emerged from a diamond-bearing asteroid that collided with Earth.”
The diamond was previously owned by an anonymous person for over 20 years before and was never sold or auctioned until now. In 2006, it was certified as the largest diamond in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.
The listing will take place at an auction in Dubai from February 3rd to 9th. While the starting auction price has not been announced, the auction house expects the diamond to sell for $4.1 million to $6.8 million, either in cryptocurrency or fiat payments.
This is not the first time Sotheby’s will be accepting crypto payments for its diamond auction. Last year, an anonymous buyer bought a rare 101.38-carat diamond, called “The Key 10138” for a record $12.3 million, in cryptocurrency at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong.
