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Posted By: pureheart Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/13/02 04:46 AM
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??
Posted By: Kate Ruth Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/13/02 09:23 PM
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.
Posted By: The Boss Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/14/02 10:31 PM
Well, I guess it's more practical than carrying around ashes in a vial.
Posted By: pureheart Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/16/02 12:23 AM
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.
Posted By: Kate Ruth Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/16/02 12:28 PM
Exactly! So far, the pet process is the most successful and, I would imagine, the easier to "sell" to someone.
Posted By: pureheart Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/16/02 09:46 PM
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?
Posted By: Kate Ruth Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/17/02 02:09 AM
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:
Quote:
Simply put, we have discovered how to capture the carbon that was always present, and until now, lost during cremation. Once captured, this carbon is placed in one of our unique diamond presses replicating the awesome forces of nature – heat and pressure. A diamond that takes millions of years to occur naturally can now be created from the carbon of your loved one in a matter of weeks.

The entire process of creating this beautiful, unique, and certified LifeGem memorial diamond involves cremation, creation, and faceting.
Here is a quote from their FAQ page:
Quote:
<b>How many LifeGems can be made from one individual?</b>
LifeGem owns the most advanced technology and knowledge in the diamond creation industry. Our process is so streamlined, we are able to create over 100 certified, high-quality LifeGem diamonds as memorials for each family.
Their website is http://www.lifegem.com - hope this answers SOME of his questions.
Posted By: pureheart Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/17/02 09:01 PM
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!
Posted By: foxtrotgirl Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/17/02 09:11 PM
It sounds like a wonderful idea for a pet <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: pureheart Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/20/02 05:39 PM
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 ...
Posted By: foxtrotgirl Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/20/02 05:56 PM
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!)
Posted By: pureheart Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/30/02 02:02 AM
You could have a charm bracelet with a charm for each one <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: foxtrotgirl Re: Your Love as a Diamond!! - 09/30/02 05:57 PM
Now that is a very cute idea!!! =)
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