Diamonds Made from Human Remains - Wear Your Loved One to the Party

I was at a wedding reception one day a few years back and noticed this amazing amber colored stone flashing on a woman's neck on the dance floor. It was so spectacular that I had to compliment her on it. She thanked me and said that it was her mother. I tried to clarify; "oh, it was your mother's?' "No", she explained, "It IS my mother." Then she went on to tell me about Life Gem, a company that takes cremated remains of your loved one and makes them into diamonds.

We couldn't resist the initial research on this company, as my daughter is studying to be a gemologist. So, we learned that since human remains are mostly carbon, and diamonds are basically processed carbon, diamonds can be made from almost anything.

Their process involves first capturing the carbon, then purifying it with extreme heat which converts the carbon to graphite. Then, they replicate the forces of the earth by pressing the graphite, a process that would take thousands of years naturally. A rough diamond crystal results from that and certified diamond cutters make a diamond to your exact specifications. All diamonds are certified by the Gemological Institute of America and have a unique laser inscription imbedded in them to prove it.

When we discovered this a few years ago, the only color diamond that they could make at the time was amber. Today, these diamonds can be made to be in ambers, greens, blues, reds and even colorless. One person's remains can be made into about 20 diamonds, so each family member, if they wanted to, could get one. You can also make a diamond from the remains of a pet.

In addition to being able to make the diamond from cremated ashes, you can now make one from a lock of hair. Life Gem recently made a diamond from a lock of Beethoven's hair that was auctioned on E-Bay and sold for $202,700.00. The hair was provided by John Reznikoffof from his personal hair collection of famous people and was verified as Beethoven's locks. All proceeds were donated to a charity.

How much will it set you back to make Aunt Myrtle a diamond? You can have your loved one made into a diamond for $3,000.00 - $20,000.00 in as little as 24 months. Some colors take longer than others and the cost range varies by size and cut. Life Gem will even send you a lovely memorial plaque to go with your set or unset stone.

For people who want to still feel close to a loved one and don't even have a gravesite to visit because ashes were scattered somewhere, it can be a nice idea. It still gives some people the willies. For more information about Life Gem, visit their website at www.lifegem.com.