An 888.88-carat natural black diamond, named Infinity, was unveiled publicly for the first time at the Dubai Diamond Conference 2026. Diamond Trading NV presented the rare stone, which is classified as ‘Fancy Black’, while security and cash management firm Brink’s was responsible for its secure transportation to the event under specialised security arrangements.
Diamond Trading NV is an Antwerp, Belgium-based company specializing in the global sourcing, trade, and distribution of rough diamonds.
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The black diamond’s history
The diamond originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It started as a 1,138-carat rough stone acquired by Andrew Coxon on behalf of De Beers in 1975. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) examined the rough crystal and, in 2013, recorded it as the largest single-crystal natural diamond it had examined and reported on at the time, according to Gulf News.
The stone underwent cutting and polishing between 2022 and 2024, resulting in the finished 888.88-carat Infinity diamond. It is now owned by Antwerp-based Diamond Trading NV. Nearly 49 years passed between the acquisition of the rough stone and the completion of the finished gem.
{{/usCountry}}The stone underwent cutting and polishing between 2022 and 2024, resulting in the finished 888.88-carat Infinity diamond. It is now owned by Antwerp-based Diamond Trading NV. Nearly 49 years passed between the acquisition of the rough stone and the completion of the finished gem.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” Daniel de Belder of Diamond Trading NV told the audience at Dubai Diamond Conference.
“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.”
More about black diamonds
Black diamonds, also known as carbonado diamonds, are natural diamonds that appear black or dark grey due to the presence of numerous tiny mineral inclusions, fractures and structural irregularities that absorb or scatter light.
Unlike traditional colourless diamonds, which are prized for their brilliance, black diamonds have an opaque appearance. Their colour can result from inclusions of minerals such as graphite, pyrite or hematite.
Natural black diamonds are rare and can be found in different parts of the world, while black diamonds sold in jewellery may also be treated to achieve their colour or produced synthetically in laboratories.
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According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), natural black diamonds form deep within the Earth’s mantle, between 150 to 800 kilometers beneath the surface.
While other diamonds are graded based on the 4Cs — colour, cut, clarity and carat weight — the same standards cannot be applied to black diamonds.
“Because black diamonds are typically opaque and heavily included, they aren’t given traditional clarity grades, which applies to transparent stones. And since black diamonds don’t show tonal or saturation differences like pink, blue or yellow diamonds, they’re simply assigned a single color grade: Fancy Black,” GIA explains on its website.