Diamonds from Loved Ones Remains

I was recently researching for a geology paper I was writing when I came across a very unusual business. While reading on synthetic diamonds and gyms I discovered a company called “Life Gem,” that grows precious stones from the cremated remains of loved ones who have passed on.

Tyler Texas Jewelers

The process, by which synthetic or “cultured” stones are created, is essentially the same as the natural one. Heat and pressure are applied to carbon molecules. Only the synthetic process takes about four days as opposed to four million years. Interestingly the manufactured variety can be superior in some respects than their natural sisters; however they are considerably more inexpensive up against comparable stones.

Life Gem has found a way to make the process of diamond buying infinitely more personal. The carbon used in the formation of Life Gem’s stones is of course carbon taken from the hair or ashes of the diseased. The website reads like it was written by a funeral home director. It offers testimonials from satisfied customers who found comfort in their new rings, pendants and other jewelry, claiming that it helped them to deal with their grief and feel closer to those they had lost.

Oh and those enthusiastic pet owners among us with more money than they know what to do with… well, you guessed it. They can also work the same magic if your lost loved one happens to have four legs. By the way the company firmly insists that the remains, (I’m not really comfortable with that term in this context), or carbon left in their care is meticulously documented and tracked in order to avoid loss or confusion. I personally know of no reason to distrust them on this point.

I have to say I find the whole process rather off- putting. It’s like a modern twist on the medieval relic. I wonder why the same process couldn’t be used to make wedding rings for the living. The Bride and groom could each donate a lock of hair and have rings made to commemorate their love whilst both still live; still creepy somehow, but a little less so. Despite my admittedly ill- informed opinion, the business has found a market. The process is not terribly cheap by the way, but for some people it is a fitting memorial to those they’ve lost. To each his own I guess, but I think I’ll settle for a wake and a nice head stone. For more on Life Gem visit their webpage at http://www.lifegem.com.