A 555-carat black diamond, the largest of its kind, to be auctioned at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s house announced this Monday the auction of the 555.55-carat “Enigma” black diamond, which will become the largest of its kind to be sold to the highest bidder next February and that the company estimates could reach a price of between three and five million pounds sterling (between 4.1 and 6.8 million dollars or 3.5 and 5.9 million euros).

“The ‘Enigma’ is a unique piece. It is very difficult to compare it with other diamonds, or even with other black diamonds that have come onto the market in the past,” Sotheby’s jewelry specialist Nikita Binani told Efe.

It is the largest faceted black diamond to enter an auction, with 55 faces and dimensions of 54x44x32 millimeters, and was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2006.

The origins of the huge gemstone, which will be on public display for the first time before the sale, are a mystery as the current owner, who bought the piece more than two decades ago, has wanted to remain anonymous.

It is also not known when and where exactly the black diamond was discovered, and the auction house only points out that these types of gems are found exclusively in Brazil and the Central African Republic, and that they were generally formed between 2 and 3 billion years ago. , it is believed that with the impact of some type of asteroid on planet earth.

Although black diamonds are generally worth less than a white diamond, Binani noted that in general, colored diamonds are beginning to appreciate, and the sale of the “Enigma” is expected to further boost the price of this type of stone. precious.

“The piece is similar in size to a large paperweight,” explained the expert, who said it weighs approximately 111 grams.

The auction will take place online between February 3 and 9, before which it will be exhibited in Dubai -where it was presented to the press-, Los Angeles and then London, where it will remain until the end of the sale.

Sotheby’s also specified that the auction of this carbonado, as black diamonds are known, will be held without a reserve price, which it means that there is no minimum amount to reach in the bids for the sale to be executed.

The diamond was purchased by the current owner in the rough, and was processed and cut to resemble a “hamsa”, the Jewish and Muslim amulet in the form of the closed palm of a hand that represents protection and good luck. (I)