Sotheby’s to auction rare black diamond with payment in Bitcoin

Sotheby’s announced the auction of the rare black diamond The Enigma, weighing 555.55 carats. The auction house will accept payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum and the Centre consortium’s USDC stablecoin.

‘The Enigma’ — a treasure from interstellar space and the largest faceted diamond to ever come to auction is unveiled today in Sotheby’s Dubai https://t.co/1nyUAsTe8j #SothebysDiamonds #blackdiamond #SothebysJewels pic.twitter.com/s713AVo14c

— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) January 17, 2022

The auction will run from 3 to 9 February.

Sotheby’s representatives noted that the decision to accept cryptocurrency as payment reflects the fact that digital assets have begun to leave their mark on the world of physical art.

In 2006 The Enigma was listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest cut diamond in the world. Its origin is linked to the fall of a meteorite. Another version suggests it is a fragment of a meteor that collided with Earth.

The auction will be without a reserve price. It will go to the highest bidder, regardless of market value.

From January 17 to 20, The Enigma will be on display at Sotheby’s gallery in the Dubai International Financial Centre, January 24–26 in Los Angeles, and February 2–9 in London.

Earlier in July 2021, Sotheby’s sold a rare diamond weighing 101.38 carats for $12.3 million in cryptocurrency.

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