A commonly asked question is, how old are most diamonds? Of course, a great guess is very old, but how old is very old? We will discuss how old most diamonds are, how to determine a diamonds age, as well as what diamond age has taught us.
How Old Are Most Diamonds?
In the first few billions of earth’s history is when most diamond formation took place. So as far as we know all diamonds are very old.
Mind boggling as it may seem, but most diamonds are older than most stars in the sky. That would make the oldest diamonds more than three billion years old and the youngest diamonds nine hundred million years old. Scientists are under the impression that diamonds have been forming throughout all of earth’s history.
How Do You Determine a Diamond’s Age?
Professor Stephen Richardson was the first to determine the age of diamonds. The first diamond that was aged happened not that long ago, in the early 1980s to be exact.
Diamonds themselves are not able to be dated, it is what is inside the diamond that tells the age. Typically the way scientists date diamonds is by looking at inclusions and radioactive decay. By examining the inclusions and using a radioactive dating scheme scientists are able to get some sort of sense of how old the diamond actually is.
What Diamond Age Has Taught Us?
Geologists studying the earth have found diamond ages to be an extremely valuable tool. It has changed their thinking about the association of ancient continental mantle keels with diamonds. They have also been able to link known plate tectonic processes with the age of diamonds.
There has been no other way to trace so far back and deeply without the help of diamond ages. Now that you have learned that diamonds are forever, give us a call at (720) 560-3548 or Book Your Appointment to schedule your free consultation!