--- title: "A Huge Black Diamond From Space Is Officially Going on Sale" description: "It's 2022, so really, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy a black diamond from space in crypto, right?" date: "2022-01-19" modified: "2022-01-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/black-space-diamond" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "crypto" - "diamonds" - "nfts" - "space rocks" --- # A Huge Black Diamond From Space Is Officially Going on Sale ![It's 2022, so really, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy a black diamond from space in crypto, right?]() *\Image: Sotheby's\* It's 2022, so really, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy a black diamond from space — and pay for it in crypto — right? The auction house Sotheby's Dubai outpost is [exhibiting and selling]() a 555.55 carat black diamond believed to be from "interstellar space" that's been dubbed "The Enigma." According to Sotheby's — which, to be frank, has a pretty solid incentive to aggrandize this gorgeous specimen — the palm-sized black diamond is "thought to have been created either from a meteoric impact or having actually emerged from a diamond-bearing asteroid that collided with Earth." Just for good measure, it was also listed as the largest cut diamond in the world in 2006, when it made it into the "Guinness Book of World Records." https://twitter.com/TheCryptoLark/status/1483326789929902082 Another eyebrow-raising detail about the sale is that Sotheby's is allowing the diamond to be sold in cryptocurrency — a move the company calls a nod to "the fact that cryptocurrency has started to make its mark in the world of physical art and objects" after the auction house sold another rare diamond for [$12.3 million in crypto]() last summer. In a [*Barrons* statement](), Nikita Binani, a jewelry specialist and head of sale at Sotheby's London said that the diamond is "one of the rarest, billion-year-old cosmic wonders known to humankind." The statement noted that origin story of "The Enigma" is also shrouded in mystery, as details of its discovery and cutting have not been released to the public. Sotheby's isn't the only auction house that has taken to using digital currencies — [Christie's also auctioned for crypto sale]() a Keith Haring painting with an estimated worth between $5 and $6 million. Christie's has also delved into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and specifically into that of the [Bored Ape Yacht Club](). In December, the esteemed auction house sold four "[Bored Apes]()" for a cumulative $2.84 million US dollars. Between crypto officially entering the fine art world and space diamonds being sold on the blockchain, 2022 already feels way more futuristic than the trash fire that was 2021. **READ MORE:** [A 555.55-carat black diamond believed to come from space is going on sale]() \[*CNN*\] **More on space auctions:** [*Startup Will Store Precious Artifacts in Vault Aboard the International Space Station*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()