Crypto Rocks

On Jul 9, Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold an exceptional 101.38-carat pear-shaped D flawless diamond in a single-lot live sale for US$12.3 million in cryptocurrency to an anonymous buyer. Named The Key 10138, it is the second largest pearshaped diamond ever to appear on the public market and also the first important diamond in the world to be auctioned with digital currency as an accepted method of payment. The unmounted stone’s name symbolises the unlocking of a new era in commerce and technology, making it a key to history. “The most ancient and emblematic denominator of value can now, for the first time, be purchased using humanity’s newest universal currency,” says Wenhao Yu, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Jewellery in Asia.