The world’s largest polished diamond, the 555.55-carat Enigma, will be auctioned in February for the first time before the auction, according to Gulfnews.com.
“Enigma has never been seen publicly before,” said Nikita Binani, a London jewelry expert at Sotheby’s auction house. The starting price has been set, but this will only be communicated to those interested on special request.
“The diamond has been with the current owner for more than two decades, who does not want to reveal his identity,” Binani added. There is no information on how many owners it was previously part of a family heirloom.
Enigma was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2006 as the world’s largest cut diamond.
The Enigma is a carbonado, or black diamond. These are not very common formations, dating back 2.6-3.8 billion years. They contain traces of nitrogen and hydrogen, as well as osbornite, which occurs only in meteorites.
Such diamonds have only been found in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
(Source: marmalade.co.uk; MTI | Image: pixabay.com)