A small sculpture entitled "Jesus on a Crucifix" created out of a single black diamond is earning worldwide recognition and praise for its late creator, master diamond polisher Mahendra Shah of Patan, Gujarat, the Ahmedabad Mirror reports.

The sculpture is currently owned by diamond trader Sameer Doshi of Mumbai, who also owns other work by Shah, plans to list the pieces for sale with Sotheby's. Doshi believes that the black diamond crucifix sculpture could sell for up to $25 million.



Shah worked as a diamond polisher and sculptor in Gujarat's diamond industry for over 35 years. The crucifix sculpture was carved from a single black diamond mined in the Congo that originally weighed 175 carats.

When the piece was presented to Gemological Institute of America Vice President Tom Moses, Doshi reports, the gemstone expert was at first skeptical. "He had seen diamonds being cut, cleaved and polished, but carved and sculpted, never," Doshi recalled.

The GIA has since certified the sculpture as a diamond.