The “Old Wood” Effect and Memorial Diamonds

It is the one topic that the Memorial Diamond companies do not and will not talk about: the “Old Wood” effect. Why? Because it completely exposes the untold truth that Memorial Diamonds are a very well designed and equally cruel hoax. I will go so far as to call it fraud.

The “old wood” effect’s impact on carbon extraction from cremated ashes has been well researched through independent scientific studies by major universities and published in respected scientific journals. Virtually all of these studies were done in relation to the topic of Carbon-14 dating of remains. But in reality, the extraction of carbon for scientific dating and use in making lab created diamonds are parallel. Therefore, the problem of the old wood effect impacts both. It is something well studied by the scientific community but carefully avoided by the memorial diamond industry.

This is where the narrative of the memorial diamond companies starts falling apart.

We need to look at 5 scientifically proven facts about carbon and cremated ashes.

1. 100% of organic carbon in the human body is totally consumed during the cremation process.

   “At temperatures exceeding 1,400°F, the 18.5% of carbon typically found in a living human is converted into CO₂ gas and exhausted. Any carbon remaining in the ‘ashes’ is trace structural carbonate that has already undergone significant isotopic exchange with the furnace fuel.”

        Source: Yermán, et al. (2018). Fire Safety Journal / Hüls, et al. (2010). Radiocarbon.

2. The bone ashes that remain after cremation no longer have the chemical make-up of human bone.

   By the stage of complete calcination (>650°C), bone is chemically redefined: it is no longer a biological tissue containing organic carbon, but a mineralized residue free of the original biogenic matter required for identification.”

        Source: PMC: Understanding intra-individual isotopic variability (2025).

3. Any carbon extracted from the resulting cremation ashes will be up to 95% from the fuel source used in the cremation oven.

   “Isotopic analysis reveals that the structural carbonate in cremated remains is an open system, with up to 95% of the carbon in the final sample originating from the fuel source and furnace atmosphere rather than the organism itself.”
   Snoeck, C., et al. (2014). “The impact of the wood used for cremation on the 14C date of cremated bones.” Radiocarbon, 56(2), 591-602.

4. Natural gas as hydrocarbons is the main source of carbon in cremation diamonds

   “Because biogenic carbon is vaporized, the structural carbonate that remains is formed in an atmosphere dominated by the combustion of fossil hydrocarbons (natural gas), which provides the primary carbon source for the resulting calcined remains.”
   Hüls, M., et al. (2010). “Experimental Study on the Origin of Cremated Bone Apatite Carbon.” Radiocarbon, 52(2).

5. Cremation ashes do not produce sufficient organic carbon to produce a lab created diamond.

   “At temperatures above 600°C, the organic matrix of the bone is completely oxidized and removed, leaving behind a mineral framework (hydroxyapatite) that is virtually devoid of its original biogenic carbon.”
   Fernández-Castillo, R., et al. (2013). “Effect of Temperature on Bone Tissue: Histological Changes.” Journal of Forensic Sciences.

The key issue is that the scientific research into the  “old wood” effect demonstrates that all organic carbon is burned up during cremation, carbon from fossil fuels replaces the carbon in the apatite crystals that are left in the ashes, and the Memorial Diamond companies are selling, at very high prices, a product made from fossil fuel carbon and not a loved one’s carbon.

In conclusion, I will simply quote two of the scientific studies in their reports:

“If you were to radiocarbon date the ashes of a person who passed away yesterday, the results might suggest they lived thousands of years ago. Why? Because 95% of the carbon in those ashes comes from the natural gas (hydrocarbons) used in the furnace. Since fossil fuels contain no Carbon-14, the lab results simply show the ‘ancient’ age of the gas company’s fuel supply.” (Hüls et al., 2010).

” Research in Radiocarbon proves that modern cremation ashes primarily contain ‘dead carbon’ from hydrocarbon gas. Consequently, any dating performed on the resulting diamond would quantify the age of the fossil fuel used during cremation, not the deceased.” (Snoeck et al., 2014).

Until someone with a lot more power than this newsletter gets involved in this investigation, consumers will continue to be told that they should spend over $15,000.00 for the same diamond currently sold on the market for $200.00. With the claim it is made from carbon from their loved one when, in fact, it is carbon from the fossil fuels used in the cremation oven.

Better known as the Old Wood effect.

Of course, there are six more facts that everyone thinking of buying a Memorial Diamond should consider when reading those memorial diamond company websites:

1. All organic carbon of your loved one is consumed in the cremation process,
2. The <1% of recoverable carbon in the remaining ashes is from the natural gas burners,
3. The Memorial Diamond companies must add an additional 99% of the carbon from outside sources,
4. There is no independent verification that the memorial diamond companies are extracting any carbon from your loved one, and
5. They sell you this lab created diamond of unknown origin for up to 75x times higher in price than the very same diamond available on Google.
6. None of the Memorial Diamond companies talk about any of this.

Before you make a costly decision at the most difficult time in your life, stop and consider the science, and not the promotional materials carefully designed to tug at your heart right now.

Stop and think about Old Wood and Memorial Diamonds.  

Hüls, M., et al. (2010). Radiocarbon. “Experimental Study on the Origin of Cremated Bone Apatite Carbon.” (The primary source for fossil fuel contamination).

Snoeck, C., et al. (2014). Radiocarbon. “The impact of wood used for cremation.” (Explains how the fuel dictates the date).

Zazzo, A., & Saliège, J. F. (2011). Radiocarbon. “Radiocarbon dating of calcined bones.” (Isotopic proof of the hydrocarbon source).

Fernández-Castillo, R., et al. (2013). Journal of Forensic Sciences. “Effect of Temperature on Bone Tissue.” (Evidence of carbon vaporization)

.Ubelaker, D. H. (2009). Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology. “The Forensic Evaluation of Burned Skeletal Remains.” (Quantifies the $<1\%$ carbon residue).

Yermán, L., et al. (2018). “Experimental study on the fuel requirements for the thermal degradation of bodies.” Fire Safety Journal. (Establishes the efficiency of organic consumption).