People are more creative than ever when it comes to commemorating the life of a loved one. Partly, this is due to the growing popularity of cremation. Whether it’s mixing ashes with paint to create a picture of the deceased or launching the ashes into space, the traditional cemetery burial is losing popularity as people discover new ways of memorializing the life of a loved one after cremation.
Like A Precious Memory, A Diamond Is Forever.
One way people are doing that is by immortalizing the ashes of a loved one in a diamond. Just as in the past when those left behind would carry a lock of hair, or a photo of a loved one around with them; today, a diamond, set perhaps in a ring, pendant, or placed somewhere in the home, is a beautiful reminder of someone who has passed on into the afterlife.
Introducing LONITÉ
Based in Zurich, Switzerland, LONITÉ is one company providing this service. The company’s name, LONITÉ, originates from the Swiss word ‘Longévité; meaning ‘to live a long life. Apt, considering diamonds are one of the most long-lasting, natural materials on earth. This is also a reason why the diamond has always been perceived as a symbol of eternal love and devotion. And why more couples are choosing memorial diamonds as an ongoing symbol of companionship and love that remains long after one of them is gone.
Like the human body, diamonds are composed of carbon. This makes ashes highly suitable for the process of creating diamonds.
Graphite and diamonds are both composed of carbon
Transforming ashes into diamonds
In LONITÉ’s laboratory, an artificial environment is created to produce the pressure (6000 times’ normal atmospheric pressure) and temperature (2000°C) required to simulate the natural processes that go on in the earth to form diamonds.
It happens in a three-stage process:
1. Carbon is extracted from cremation ashes and/or human hair and purified.
2. This carbon is placed inside a machine which replicates the intense heat and pressure within the earth’s mantle.
3. Over time, ranging from weeks to months, the carbon becomes restructured and crystalizes to form a diamond.
When the process is complete, the diamond is certified, and sometimes set in a pendant, ring or other keepsake (depending on the wishes of the client), before being collected by the customer or delivered.
A diamond ring made from the cremation ashes of a partner
“Memorial diamonds are often set into a piece of jewelry, as it lets the client feel that their loved one is still there by their side as they were during life,” Says Jeff Gonzalo, head of customer service at LONITÉ. ‘No sad visits to a lonely cemetery are necessary because the memorial to that person is always close at hand.’
Natural beauty
Physically, structurally and visually, memorial diamonds are exactly the same as a diamond found in a jewelry store, the only difference is that they contain carbon from the cremation ashes and hair of the deceased. All memorial diamonds are fully certified by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America).
The entire process is recorded through an ID tracking system. When the company receives the order, a 16 digit tracking number is assigned and marked on the receptacle containing the ashes. The ashes are then flown to Switzerland, where the process begins.
All the details of the deceased and the client are recorded.
Firstly, the ashes are labelled and analyzed. The physical and chemical data is unique for every person and this will be recorded and documented in a laboratory report. Throughout, the client can check the status on the LONITÉ website.
“It’s important to give clients reassurance that the ashes of their loved one is being looked after,” explains Jeff.
200 grams of ashes for a single diamond
A one carat diamond contains 0.2 g of carbon, which means 200 grams of ashes or 10 grams of hair are needed for each carat. This may not be possible in the instance of an infant death. In this event, the ashes are typically supplemented with hair from the parents.
An urn to hold the ashes
200 grams of cremation ashes is required to create the diamond, regardless of the final size of the jewel. That will depend the length of the crystallization time. Diamonds can be created up to a maximum size of two carats, but, this takes longer and is more costly.
Typically, the entire process takes between 3-6 months.
Once the diamond is ready, it is graded and certified. They can also be sent to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for further accreditation.
A memorial diamond with GIA certificate
The GIA has hi-tech equipment that can verify the source of the diamond and confirm that it comes from LONITÉ’s laboratory, as opposed to a traditionally mined diamond.
Pricing
The standard crystallization process creates diamond with an amber color. This ashes-to-diamonds costs between $2,500 and $9,000, depending on size. However, this isn’t the only option available.
A cremation diamond ring made from a husband’s ashes.
Carbon and Nitrogen are two of the essential elements of life. The human body is made up of 18% carbon and 3% Nitrogen – essential for the formation of DNA and proteins. While it’s the carbon that creates the structure of the diamond; nitrogen is responsible for the color which varies from yellow amber to deep orange. Every diamond is unique. No two are alike, just like the person they represent.
Each memorial diamond is unique.
As Jeff says, ‘The color cannot be predicted, or controlled. It all depends on how much nitrogen remains in the carbon.’
However, the client does have the option to remove the nitrogen during the purification process, which results in a light blue color, created from the element, boron – found in bone. But, if required, this too can be removed during purification to produce a completely colorless diamond.
A colorless diamond requires higher purity and thus costs more.
Colorless memorial diamonds involve a complicated purification procedure, so take longer and cost more to produce. For example, a one carat colorless diamond costs around $20,000 dollars to create, approximately double the price of an amber diamond.
Memorial diamonds are gaining popularity worldwide.
Due to a surge in demand for memorial diamonds, the LONITÉ company has expanded into more than twenty countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
The memorial diamond at the heart of it all.
Company Director, Silvia Spitaleri explains the philosophy behind LONITÉ’s approach:
“We are investing in new research, innovation and technology not just to create the finest memorial diamonds in the world for those who have lost someone dear, but to make memorial diamonds more accessible and affordable to everyone.”
Even when a loved one has gone, the memories remain. Choosing to have their ashes transformed into a memorial diamond is not only a symbol of everlasting love, but a symbol of togetherness and devotion until you can be reunited again in the afterlife.
