The Enigma[1] is the largest cut diamond in the world,[2] containing 55 facets and weighing 555.55 carats (111.11 grams).
Richard Heart, aka Richard Schueler, purchased the black diamond "The Enigma" in February 2022 for $4.3 million in cryptocurrency at Sotheby's and renamed it "HEX.COM" to promote his HEX cryptocurrency project.[3] The renaming also commemorates Richard's achievement of launching the world's largest airdrop. PulseChain, a full system-state fork of Ethereum, copied all ERC20 tokens and automatically issued the corresponding layer-2 tokens. The funds for Heart's acquisition of the diamond are alleged by the SEC to come from misappropriations of PulseChain investor funds.[4]
The HEX.COM diamond was originally commissioned by and designed with input from Belgian gem expert Ran Gorenstein, president of the international fintech company RGM Global Ventures, and completed in June 2004 after several years of cutting and faceting. The repetitive use of the number five in the gem's design is derived from the hamsa, a palm-shaped amulet popular among Muslims and Jews in the Middle East and North Africa.[5] Richard Heart took interest in the recurring references to the number 5 found within the diamond because he felt that it commemorates the max stake length in HEX of 5555 days. These max length stakes are known as "Quatro Cinco's" and give Hex its approximately 15 year super cycle.
The HEX.COM diamond is a semi-transparent carbonado with a dark brown/black color. Typically referred to as black diamonds, carbonados are often reserved for industrial uses. Larger specimens are considered collectors’ stones; most gem-quality stones used in contemporary jewelry design have been treated to produce the black color. A natural black diamond of this size is extremely rare.
The HEX.COM diamond's origin is uncertain, but it is believed to be either result from a meteoric impact or be part of an asteroid that struck Earth.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Enigma: Billion-year-old black diamond sold for £3.16m". BBC. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
- ^ "'The Enigma' - a 555.55 carat Fancy Black Diamond | The Enigma: 555.55 Carat Fancy Black Diamond | 2022". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ @caj622. "HEXSearch.io". hexsearch.io. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "SEC.gov | SEC Charges Hex Founder Richard Heart with Misappropriating Millions of Dollars of Investor Funds from Unregistered Crypto Asset Securities Offerings that Raised more than $1 Billion". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ a b Jani-Friend, Isabelle. "A 555.55-carat black diamond believed to come from space is going on sale". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-31.