Ashes to Diamonds: The New Era of the Funeral Industry

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Friday, May 10, 2019 - 10:08am

Cremation is one of the more popular options people rely on when someone they love passes away. So, it was only natural that ash urns would eventually go out of fashion, so to say.

Moreover, now you can actually turn the ashes into diamonds that you can wear around your neck or on your fingers.

Most individuals still store the ashes in urns or sprinkle them on a field or in the water. However, it seems that more and more people want to leave the aforementioned behind and, instead, commemorate their loved ones by wearing them, so to say.

Now, let’s see how the process of turning ashes to diamonds works. So, we’ll take a deeper look into what people call cremation jewellery.

How and Why Is This Possible?

As you may know, diamonds are basically made out of crystallized carbon. Moreover, scientists have researched ways of growing diamonds in the lab and, with their success also came improvement. Thus, now they are able to literally turn ashes into diamonds.

This is possible mainly because the second-most-abundant atomic element of a human’s body is carbon – the essential element when it comes to crystallizing diamonds.

Basically, specialists will collect a sample of cremains that they will add to a diamond-growing foundation. Inside an HPHT machine, the cremains will be heated to more than 2000 degrees Celsius, under a pressure of 60,000 atmospheres.

The process replicates the conditions in which natural diamonds are formed – namely, the environment found deep within the Earth’s mantle. If you want to find out more about how we deal with turning ashes to diamonds, here you can read on how the entire process is done.

How Much Ash Is Needed?

Before talking about how much ash is exactly needed to crystallize a piece of cremation jewellery, it is important to mention the fact that certain styles of cremation can influence the amount of carbon found in the end product.

For example, when hotter temperatures are used for a longer period, most carbon found within the human body will escape into the air, like carbon dioxide. Thus, a diamond will require a larger amount of ashes in order to be crystallized.

On the other hand, low-temperature cremation is seen as the better option, because a larger amount of carbon is being preserved.

In terms of weight, most companies that specialize in turning ashes into diamonds will need around 1 pound of cremains. It might seem a lot, but this amount guarantees that there will be enough carbon present in order to make a piece of cremation jewellery.

Concluding Remarks

Some of you may wonder why someone would rely on such a practice instead of just keeping a portion of the ashes inside a necklace, for example.

First of all, people will be able to have their loved ones with them wherever they go. Moreover, they’ll have them in the shape and display that shows the true beauty of the one that has passed away.

Cremation jewellery is a great option to have someone you love with you, as a sparkling gem of all colours, cuts, and sizes.


 

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