News Earth Earth’s rarest diamonds form from primordial carbon in the mantle The planet’s carbon cycle may not go as deep as scientists have thought Superdeep diamonds, such as the Hope Diamond, are formed in an ancient reservoir of carbon in the lower mantle that is separate from the carbon cycle that operates at Earth’s surface. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Carolyn Gramling September 14, 2020 at 8:00 am Most diamonds are made of carbon recycled over and over again between Earth’s surface and its crust.