101-carat diamond sells at auction for $12.3 million — in cryptocurrency

A mystery buyer has purchased a massive, exceedingly rare 101.38-carat diamond in a Sotheby's auction for $12.3 million — and they paid using cryptocurrency. 

Sotheby's Hong Kong announced last month that it would accept offers for the stunning pear-shaped gemstone in Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as traditional payment methods. The auction house did not specify which cryptocurrency was used to purchase the stone, but said that "no other physical object with an estimate even approaching the $10-15 million estimate this diamond carries, has ever been publicly offered for purchase with cryptocurrency." The diamond, called "The Key 10138," sold to an anonymous private collector. Sotheby's says it is the second-largest pear-shaped diamond ever sold, calling the sale a "milestone" in the adoption of cryptocurrency at auction.