From News of the Weird:

LifeGem Memorials (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) announced in August that, using available technology, it can turn a loved one's cremated ashes into a diamond by pressing and heating the ashes to 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit. A chemistry professor cited by The New York Times agreed that the plan was sound; carbon from the ashes converts to graphite, which can be pressurized into a diamond. LifeGem prices start at $4,000 for a quarter-carat. [New York Times, 8-22-02]

Neat eh??

Yep, I interviewed one of the founders about their process and have forwarded it and their website on to a publisher in NY. Hopefully, they will be picked up for more advertising to get the word out. The loved one (human or pet) is cremated and the carbon is made into a diamond (you can choose the color) - the remainder of the ash can be returned in an urn, etc.

Well, I guess it's more practical than carrying around ashes in a vial.

I didn't even think of the pet idea!! That's brilliant. Many people might feel strange at the idea of a human being turned into a diamond. But if it was a cat or a dog, a faithful companion for many years, I think that having that cat/dog as a beautiful pendant to always stay with you would be really touching. You could have the diamond set into a 'pillow' gold heart pendant say, always worn above your own heart.

I think that'd be really sweet. It doesn't have any sort of negative connotation for me and even seems much better than putting the pet into the ground somewhere or keeping the ashes in an urn somewhere.

Exactly! So far, the pet process is the most successful and, I would imagine, the easier to "sell" to someone.

My boyfriend was really curious just how much ash material it took to create say a 1 carat diamond. If you were a 200 pound individual, how big of a diamond could they make? Could you make a bracelet out of a bigger person?

They utilize only the carbon portions after cremating the remains. Then, the ashes and the diamond(s) are returned to the family.

Their site says:
Here is a quote from their FAQ page:
Their website is http://www.lifegem.com - hope this answers SOME of his questions.

Wow, 100 of them!! There must be a lot of carbon in a person since diamonds are very squashed-in carbon piles.

Again, I'm not sure that I could do that to a person, but I think that's great for a pet. I have 4 cats and 3 parakeets, I guess I'll keep it in mind!

It sounds like a wonderful idea for a pet <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I wonder how little a pet they can take. What if you had a favorite goldfish? You could have a small necklace made. If it was less expensive, I bet that would be great for kids, to help them get through the loss of a pet. Now they could have a keepsake ...

I have a betta, a goldfish, and a plecostomus...plus 7 cats, and a lot of "wild" animals that live under my porch and are remarkably domesticated (a raccoon that comes when I call him, etc.). I think I'd be just covered in diamonds! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

(Which works, because I absolutely looooooooove diamonds!)

You could have a charm bracelet with a charm for each one <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Now that is a very cute idea!!! =)