Diamond Trading NV presents the Congo diamond, cut from a 1,138-carat rough bought in 1975
Dubai: A rare 888.88-carat fancy black natural diamond, named Infinity, went on show for the first time at the Dubai diamond conference organized by DMCC.
The company Diamond Trading NV presented the stone and also shared that security and cash management company Brink’s handled its secure transport to the event.
The diamond originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was cut from a 1,138-carat rough stone that Andrew Coxon acquired in 1975 on behalf of De Beers.
Years later the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) examined the rough crystal. In 2013, the institute recorded it as the largest single-crystal natural diamond it had examined and reported on up to that point. Cutting and polishing ran from 2022 to 2024 and produced the finished 888.88-carat Infinity, which is currently owned by Antwerp's Diamond Trading NV. From the 1975 purchase to the finished gem, the stone took about 49 years to reach its final form.
Describing how Infinity took shape, Daniel de Belder of Diamond Trading NV told the audience what went behind shaping it.
“It is a black diamond. It carries features that are witnesses of the eruptive process, when it came from 150 kilometres deep down to the surface,” he said. “We adapted the plan and the manner in which we shape it to what nature is. We did not try to erase the traces of this very dramatic and fast transit from deep in the earth.”
The showing at the Dubai diamond conference gave the international industry a rare chance to see the diamond in person. The organizers also spoke of the role that provenance, rarity and craftsmanship play in the value of natural diamonds. however, they did not mention a clear valuation for the piece or if it is on offer to be sold.
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