555-carat space diamond sold for $4.3 million in crypto

A famed 555.55-carat black diamond that’s possibly from outer space was just auctioned off Sotheby’s for $4.29 million. A rare extraterrestrial gem will be potentially turned into a crypto marketing campaign, and the buyer has also paid with cryptocurrency.

“The diamond has sold for $4,292,322,” confirmed a Sotheby’s spokesperson in a statement. “The buyer has opted to use cryptocurrency for the purchase.”

According to the auction house, the diamond is the “largest fancy black natural color diamond… and the largest cut diamond in the world.”

This odd, black diamond is known as “The Enigma.” Mashable’s Science Editor Mark Kaufman has called it an “unusual species of diamond” known as “carbonados.”

“Today, most diamonds are found in volcanic rock called kimberlite. But, crucially, carbonados are found elsewhere,” wrote Kaufman. “For many geologists, the Earth-origin theories can’t explain another integral feature of carbonados.”

According to the extraterrestrial hypothesis, such a meteorite crashing into Earth and forming the carbonados diamonds.

Although Sotheby’s has yet to confirm the buyer’s identity, crypto entrepreneur Richard Heart has publicly shared that he is the auction winner, not disclosing the specific type of cryptocurrency.

“I won the world’s largest cut diamond for our #HEXican cultural heritage!” Heart claimed on Twitter. “It’ll be called the HEX.com diamond; it weighs 555.55 carats and has 55 facets.”

Sotheby’s called the gemstone a “cosmic wonder” ahead of the sale, which is also cut with 55 facets in honor of the Middle Eastern Hamsa: a palm-shaped amulet meant to serve as protection for all who wear it.

The nearly 300-year-old auction house has been diving into the crypto world. Last year, it began accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment to expand its client base and has been auctioning digital collectibles known as NFTs.

Last July, Sotheby’s sold a rare 101.38-carat diamond for $12.3 million in cryptocurrency in a Hong Kong auction to an anonymous buyer. As it was the highest price paid for gemstone or jewelry in crypto, the auction house called it “a milestone was reached in the adoption of cryptocurrencies.”