This diamond by Alrosa can be personalised, thanks to nanomarking. Courtesy Alrosa
This diamond by Alrosa can be personalised, thanks to nanomarking. Courtesy Alrosa
This diamond by Alrosa can be personalised, thanks to nanomarking. Courtesy Alrosa
This diamond by Alrosa can be personalised, thanks to nanomarking. Courtesy Alrosa

Lifestyle

Luxury

Cancelled: the auction of a diamond you can embed with a photo or even music

The region's first sale of a gemstone with Alrosa's nanomark has now been cancelled

Sarah Maisey

February 03, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

Since this story was first published, The National has been informed that due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this auction has been cancelled indefinitely.

Fancy gifting a diamond with your photo imprinted indelibly inside? Or how about with a video embedded for all eternity? Well, now you can thanks to Alrosa, one of the world's largest diamond producers.

Called nanomarking, Alrosa’s groundbreaking technology was first revealed in July 2021, as a way to guarantee the provenance of its stones. Using non-invasive lasers, rough and polished stones are marked with detailed information on a scale so tiny that it involves imprinting on the internal crystal lattice of the diamond, on its very atomic structure. The results are invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen via a scanner.

Loose, uncut diamonds by Alrosa, which is a Russian state-controlled miner. Photo: Alrosa
Loose, uncut diamonds by Alrosa, which is a Russian state-controlled miner. Photo: Alrosa

Invented in conjunction with Russian Academy of Sciences and the Yakutniproalmaz Institute, this new technology allows each stone to be traced with 100 per cent accuracy, and unlike conventional etching, cannot simply be polished away. Thanks to the miniature scale of the markings, the Gemological Institute of America, the industry’s biggest certification centre, has certified the process does not affect the quality of the diamond.

Each nanomark takes the form of a three dimensional code, that in turn links to Alrosa’s provenance platform. There, viewers will find detailed information about the stone, including a unique identification code, photographs and even videos on precisely how the stone has been cut.

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Able to embed a large amount of data, inevitably, some of that space is being set aside so people can add a personalised message to the stones they purchase. Using the same nanomarking technology, buyers can embed a voicenote, photographs and even a video that scanning the stone will reveal. Should a buyer so wish, they can add music too.

For the first time, one of these nanomarked diamonds is being brought to auction in Dubai. Able to mark a significant event, the personalised diamond could include wedding videos, photographs of a newborn child or a graduation ceremony.

Held online, the bidding will take place between Monday, March 21 and Sunday, April 3.

In 2021, Alrosa, which is part owned by the Russian government, brought one of its largest uncut gemstones to auction in Dubai, as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. At 242-carats, the size of a small hen’s egg, it was one of the largest found by the company this century. The auction price started at $2 million.

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See rare 555-carat black diamond unveiled in Dubai thought to be billions of years old:

The Enigma is a 555.55-carat black diamond. All photos: Ruel Pableo for The National
The Enigma is a 555.55-carat black diamond. All photos: Ruel Pableo for The National
It is the world’s largest Fancy Black Natural Colour diamond, as reported by Gubelin and the GIA.
It is the world’s largest Fancy Black Natural Colour diamond, as reported by Gubelin and the GIA.
The stone has 55 facets and is believed to have extraterrestrial origins.
The stone has 55 facets and is believed to have extraterrestrial origins.
The gemstone is on view at the Sotheby's showroom in the DIFC.
The gemstone is on view at the Sotheby's showroom in the DIFC.
The Enigma will remain in Dubai until January 20.
The Enigma will remain in Dubai until January 20.
The stone will be auctioned via a single-lot online sale.
The stone will be auctioned via a single-lot online sale.
Sotheby's is accepting cryptocurrency for this sale.
Sotheby's is accepting cryptocurrency for this sale.
The Enigma was acquired by its current owner in the 1990s and was previously unseen on the market.
The Enigma was acquired by its current owner in the 1990s and was previously unseen on the market.
Carbonado diamonds are believed to be 2.6 to 3.8 billion years old.
Carbonado diamonds are believed to be 2.6 to 3.8 billion years old.
Carbonado diamonds are only found in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
Carbonado diamonds are only found in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
They are believed to have been formed when a meteorite collided with the Earth billions of years ago.
They are believed to have been formed when a meteorite collided with the Earth billions of years ago.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
On Women's Day
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Whiile you're here
While you're here
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
While you're here
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While you're here
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
School uniforms report
Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

if you go

The flights 

Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning. 

The trains

Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

The hotels

Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Updated: May 31, 2023, 1:40 PM`
Jewellery