How Old Diamonds REALLY Are

Added: 2026-06-09

[00:00:00]Most people don't understand just how old diamonds actually are. If this is today and this is when the dinosaurs went extinct, then this is when pangia split apart and the Atlantic Ocean opened up. Then this is when the largest diamond ever found formed, the famous cullinan diamond that was split into pieces and incorporated into the crown jewels. But diamonds get way older.

[00:00:20]Here's where our atmosphere first had oxygen in it. And here's where the famous Kimberly diamond formed. But they get older. We know this because when a diamond forms, tiny minerals are trapped inside, and some of those have radioactive elements that act like a natural atomic clock. Over billions of years, these elements decay into other elements at measurable rates. So, by calculating the ratio between them, we can tell how old they are. Here is where the oldest diamonds ever found form.

[00:00:45]That is 3/4 as old as the earth itself.

[00:00:50]But how they actually form is crazier than most people think. So to see that subscribe.