Written by Menswear Style in Trends on the 9th May 2018

Ashes into diamonds are synthetic diamonds grown in the lab from the carbon extracted from the hair or cremated ashes of your deceased loved one. Ashes into diamonds have fast gained momentum in the UK as a funeral alternative that offers the bereaved a unique way to immortalise their lost loved ones through paying tribute to the kind of life they lived.

Specialist Ashes into Diamonds Company Lonité from Switzerland with an existing branch in London, uses HPHT technology in their state of the art Swiss laboratory. First, the hair or cremated ashes are analysed to determine whether they contain enough carbon to be turned into a diamond, about 200g of ashes or 10g of hair are required. The ashes are then placed in a specialised crucible and the crucible is heated to over 5000F to make sure every element except carbon oxidises and then the temperature is raised further so that carbon can become graphite. The graphite with a metal catalyst and a diamond seed crystal are placed into the core. The core goes into a specialised diamond press capable of creating extreme tension which then starts working thus bringing the pressure to about 800,000 pounds/square inches.

The process of turning human ashes into diamonds takes several weeks. During the last stretch when the press is working, the temperature in the room stays about 2500F so that the ashes turned diamonds become solid. This process results in rough crystals that are cut and polished into memorial diamonds. The colour of the finished diamond ranges from white to dark blue, depending on the boron content of the ashes of the deceased. It is also possible to turn pet ashes into diamonds with the colour, the cut and the size of your choice. The process of ashes into diamonds for pets, the technology used, and order process is the same as in humans and is possible for any type of animals: horses, birds, dogs and cats as long as you can provide at least 200gr of the pets’ ashes or 10gr of the pets' fur. This celebrates your beloved pet for the companion or family member they were, not only giving you closure but also allowing you to pay them tribute after they have passed on.

Lack of cemetery space in urban centres in major cities like London, New York and Mexico: According to the 2015 BBC report, the world is projected to run out of burial space completely by 2020 i.e. San Isidro cemetery in Mexico City, borough of Azcapotzalco reached full capacity in 2014 and people had to exhume the bodies of their loved ones to create space for the newly deceased. Body exhumations are obviously difficult experiences to live for families, which is why more and more people are now turning to cremation, knowing that there are now many ways available to handle the ashes post-ceremony like the ashes into diamonds.  The few available burial spaces available are very expensive for the average person to afford. The cost of a traditional burial in London starts from £5,529 and can go up to £20,000 for the most elaborated ceremonies, counting the coffin and the rent of a burial plot which prices have skyrocketed around the world in recent years. On a more positive note, ashes into diamonds enable one to keep a departed loved one close at all-times, hence allowing physical continuity. Their sizes of 0.25ct to 1.0ct also make them very easy to carry around thus eliminating the issue of immobility with cemetery burials. It is also possible to offer the ashes into diamonds ring at very special life events such as engagements and weddings or pass the cremation diamond jewel down from generation to generation in your family as an everlasting legacy.

Prices of a memorial diamond in the UK vary according to the size, the cut and the colour of the diamond. Diamonds are measured in carat (ct), a unit of weight and one carat equals to 0.2g. Sizes of the ashes into diamonds range from 0.25ct to 1.00ct. Natural diamonds have diverse colours from the different elements in the environments in which they grow. Similarly, ashes into diamonds take on five colours from the mineral elements in the ashes or the additional processes in the surrounding environment during the birth of the memorial diamond. The colours include: Naturally Amber, Greenish Yellow, Red, Blue and purely colourless which is the one-colour option that requires the most technical efforts. It is also possible to keep the ashes into diamond rough and unpolished or you can choose from any of the available options for a polished one (Brilliant, Princess, Radiant, Asscher, Emerald and Heart). The most popular cut style for memorial diamonds in UK is the Brilliant cut. Putting these factors into consideration, you are likely to pay around 1,400 GBP up to 15,600 GBP for a memorial diamond in the UK. There is generally need for newly customised post burial alternatives in the UK that celebrates the uniqueness of the deceased. Ashes into diamonds are with no doubt the new face of the funeral industry in the UK, credited by the fact that you can design your ring to the last detail, including every notable aspect of your lost loved one.

We investigate cremation diamonds and turning ashes into diamonds offered by companies such as Lonite from Switzerland.