For years, many people have had friends or family members cremated. They’ve scattered their ashes or, in some cases, kept them in urns. For many, it can be comforting to feel like a piece of their loved one is still nearby.
A Cremation diamond into a ring.
People have a number of reasons for eschewing traditional burial. Sometimes it’s the cost of a funeral; other times it’s the strict requirements for burial in a cemetery. Procedures like embalming can often be required because so many cemeteries are owned by funeral companies who get to set the criteria for burial at their facilities.
Cremation has, of course, been around for thousands of years. However, it has made a resurgence in recent decades largely in response to some of these growing issues. Now, though, there are newer methods for people to consider – including cremation diamonds.
Ashes to diamonds: How specialist companies can turn your departed loved ones into a stunning diamond.
Cremation diamonds are grown in laboratory
Cremation diamonds are the result of specialized processes that some companies use to convert human ashes into diamonds. One leader in this new industry is Lonite, a Swiss company that has its own proprietary process for “growing” or making diamonds from ashes.
Diamonds, as we all learn in grade school, are made naturally from carbon that has been subjected to extreme heat and pressure for billions of years deep in the Earth’s crust. The process of turning ashes into diamonds involves winnowing human ashes down to pure Carbon by separating Nitrogen and other elements. Then, just like in nature, the remaining Carbon is subjected to extreme heat and pressure.
What really enables cremation diamonds to be an alternative to traditional burial, however, is that nature’s process can be sped up. Technology now allows for turning human ashes into diamonds, but not over the billion or more years that would be required in nature. In fact, specialists have sped up the process of growing cremation diamonds so that the time required is less than a week – under 90 hours, in fact.
Many of these companies have been expanding very quickly as cremation diamonds have grown in popularity. Lonite, for example, has opened a brand new North American branch office in Buffalo, New York.
Why cremation diamonds are becoming the new alternative to traditional burial methods.
In North America, traditional burials are still the norm. However, costs have risen tremendously in recent decades as funeral companies have consolidated. Many have also opened or acquired their own cemeteries, so they’re able to set the requirements for those wishing to be buried at their facilities.
Some of the costs for traditional burial can be avoided through cremation; but, here again, many crematories are owned by large funeral companies that are able to dictate pricing.
The costs of turning ashes into diamonds, on the other hand, can be very conservative. Pricing typically depends on the size, shape, and color of the desired diamond, but they often start at under $2,000 (USD) and go up from there. In a traditional burial, loved ones can expect to pay more than twice that much just for a casket.
These differences in cost have made it far more attractive to turn ashes into diamonds since the technology became available. After the process is complete, people can have a piece of their loved one to keep close and carry with them in daily life – not just to sit in an urn on a mantle.
Turning ashes into diamonds: Less harmful environmental effects than a traditional burial.
Turning ashes into diamonds does less harm to the environment
In addition to the cost savings, turning human ashes into diamonds can also be more environmentally responsible. In a world that is already overpopulated, with people living closer and closer together, challenges have already begun to arise in how the world can continue to feed itself. Setting aside ever-growing tracts of land for traditional burials – which must then be maintained – can have significant long-term consequences.
Granted, cremation diamonds are not totally environmentally friendly. The deceased must first be cremated, a process that releases pollutants into the air. The energy required to then turn the ashes of a loved one into a cremation diamond is also significant. However, once the diamond is finished, the pollutants and energy requirements stop there. There is no need for ongoing maintenance, as would be required of a plot in a cemetery; and there is no embalming fluid left in the soil.
Turning your loved one’s ashes into diamond: A way to remember them forever
Cremation diamonds are not appropriate for everyone. However, with the new technology that makes them possible, they are an increasingly popular alternative that should be a consideration for many people. Whether it’s to avoid the costs of a traditional burial, or the chemical treatments required after death, cremation diamonds can be a very accessible alternative.
Turning human ashes into a diamond, keeping the remains of a loved one from being subjected to so many treatments and other steps after their death while also reducing their long-term impact on the environment after death, can be worthwhile considerations for many. Perhaps most significantly, this alternative allows the holder of a cremation diamond to keep their loved one close to them every day and maybe to pass them on from generation to generation.
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Photos courtesy of author and Getty Images
