Crypto Boss Claims He Bought $4.3m Black Diamond
February 13, 22
(IDEX Online) - The world's largest black natural color diamond - a 555.55-ct carbonado - sold for $4.3m at auction.
Sotheby's didn't name the buyer, but US tech entrepreneur Richard Heart, 42, tweeted his 180,000 followers that it was him.
He said he'd be paying for the gem with cryptocurrency and would re-name it the Hex.com diamond, after the blockchain platform he founded.
Before the auction, Sotheby's said the 55-facet polished stone, dubbed The Enigma, was "thought to have been created either from a meteoric impact or having actually emerged from a diamond-bearing asteroid that collided with Earth."
The identity of the stone's seller, who owned the stone for 20 years is not known, and there are scant details on its provenance.
Reports before the single-lot online auction suggested the stone could fetch as much as $7m.
Sotheby's tweeted: "The Enigma: This 555.55 carat Black Diamond sold today for £3,161,000 / $4,292,322. The buyer has opted to use cryptocurrency for the purchase."
Pic shows The Enigma and Richard Heart