Written by Menswear Style in Trends on the 15th July 2019

What kind of memorial would you create in honour of a loved one? Would you want to bury them and have a nice headstone made? If you were to choose a typical burial, how many people would drive out to the cemetery and visit the headstone? Would you rather cremate your loved one and have their ashes stored in a beautiful urn in your home? How many people do you think would visit your house to view the urn? Here’s another idea - and one that’s quickly gaining momentum as one of the most popular options when it comes to cremation in the UK - you can choose to have a loved one’s ashes turned into diamonds. You heard that right. Cremated remains contain carbon which can be extracted. The pure carbon sample is added to a diamond growing foundation and placed inside of a high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) machine that effectively exposes the sample to the same type of extreme elements found deep within the earth where natural diamonds are created. The synthetic diamonds created out of the hair or the ashes of a loved one are identical in terms of chemical and physical properties to mined diamonds.

Ashes to Diamonds are as Unique as the Loved One You're Celebrating

Momentum is building across the UK and many people are trading in traditional burial funerals for a truly unique way to celebrate the life and memory of a loved. Just as it is in nature, never will two synthetic diamonds look exactly alike. The unique composition of the carbon sample you send in, whether it is hair or cremated ashes, will affect the hue and tone of the authentic diamond being created for you. However, you can still choose the colour you want from the following options available at Heart in Diamond: White (colourless), Deep ruby red, Yellow-green, Orange-yellow, and Blue. Beyond just choosing the colour of the synthetic diamond you want made from ashes, you also choose the size and cut. When you use Heart in Diamond to have your loved one turned into a diamond, you can choose from their two most popular cuts - brilliant and princess (they can create custom cuts on request). With more than 500 different jewellery settings at Heart in Diamond, you are sure to find a unique set of earrings, a pendant, or ring that perfectly reflects the personality and character of your loved one you are memorialising. When you turn ashes into diamonds, you are doing more than creating a memorial for a loved one. In reality, by taking the living carbon from their body and having it turned into a diamond that lasts forever - you are immortalising them. Part of them will be forever cherished and passed down from generation to generation.

The Process of Turning Ashes Into Diamonds 

Pioneers in the industry of turning ashes into diamonds, Heart in Diamond, has been creating unique memorial and cremation diamonds since 2005. This UK-headquartered diamond company is a world-renowned manufacturer of unique laboratory-grown diamonds. As part of their commitment to integrity and love, every sample that is sent to Heart in Diamond is handled with care and treated with the utmost respect. So how do these carbon samples get transformed into beautiful authentic diamonds? The following is the process used to create diamonds from cremated ashes or hair. 

Step 1: Collect a sample of hair or cremated ashes. If you are using cremated ashes, you need at least 85g/3oz. If you are using a sample of hair, you need at least 64g/2.25 oz of hair. If you want, you can send in a combination of both hair and ashes. This is often done when a couple wants to use their hair samples along with a loved one who passed away for memorial wedding rings. Send your sample in a tightly sealed package. 

Step 2: When the diamond-creation professionals at the laboratory receive your sample and signed purchasing order form, they issue you an ID number so that you can monitor the progress of your sample from ashes to diamond. At all times during the process, your sample and diamond will be treated with love and respect. 

Step 3: Pure carbon must be extracted from the carbon sample. The ashes or hair are placed into a specialised crucible which is heated up to temperatures in excess of 2760 degrees Celsius or 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. This extreme heat ensures that all other elements are oxidised and only carbon remains. From that point, the heat goes up even more and the carbon is transformed into graphite. 

Step 4: The graphite sample is combined with a diamond seed crystal and metal catalyst and placed inside the core of the HPHT machine. Once inside of the machine, the graphite that’s been added to a diamond growing plate will be exposed to temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees Celsius or 3600 degrees Fahrenheit and more than 60,000 atmospheres of pressure or 880,000 pounds per square inch. The process of turning ashes or hair into diamonds takes several weeks to complete. Your diamond will remain inside of the HPHT machine until the growth phase is done.  

Step 5: Once your diamond has finished growing, it is then sent to the experts at Heart in Diamond who cut and polish the memorial diamond according to your specifications. If you ordered a beautiful jewellery setting, such as a pendant, ring or earrings, your diamond would then be set into the jewellery.  

Step 6: Your memorial diamond or diamond jewellery is sent to you and it arrives safely at your front door. In locations where it permits, your diamond will be delivered in person.

Turn Pet Hair or Ashes into Memorial Diamonds 

Losing a beloved pet is so hard. Oftentimes, owners experience deep sadness and want to have something that reminds them of their pet nearby. Customers in the UK are also picking up on the trend of having a pet turned into a diamond. The process works the same way it does for human hair or ashes as described above. Horses, birds, dogs, and cats, it doesn’t matter what kind of pet you want to have turned into a diamond. As long as you are able to get an adequate sample of hair, ashes, or a combination of both - it can be turned into a synthetic diamond. 

Why More People are Choosing Cremation Over Traditional Burials 

Running Out of Cemetery Space: Urban centres all around the world are running into problems providing adequate cemetery space. There have been documented incidents, such as the one in 2014 that happened at the San Isidro cemetery in Mexico City, where people were forced to exhume the bodies of their loved ones when the Azcapotzalco cemetery reached full capacity. One could only imagine how traumatising and difficult that process would be on families. Mexico is not the only place in the world running out of cemetery space, as there are locations in both London and New York that have nearly reached their capacity as well. One reason cremation is becoming the more popular option over burial is because of this obvious lack of space.

Cremation is a More Economical Option: Another huge factor that comes into play when someone is making end-of-life arrangements is the expense of a funeral, which has increased dramatically in recent years. In London, the total cost for a traditional burial can start anywhere from the £5,529 mark and easily reach up to £20,000 for more expensive funerals. This total cost takes into consideration the coffin and rental of a burial plot. The average cost for cremation in London is typically less than half the cost of a funeral.  

Modern Technology and Trends Provide Options for Ashes: Recent years have brought about many more ways to handle the ashes of a loved one to celebrate their memory - such as by having their ashes turned into diamonds. Family members from all over the world report finding great comfort in the physical continuity aspect of memorial diamonds. The fact that a physical part of a loved one can be immortal in a diamond that lasts forever is a life-changing and powerful experience. Because diamonds and the jewellery they are mounted in are small - it’s easy to carry a loved one’s remains close to you at all times, whereas carrying an urn everywhere you go is not so practical, and it would be impossible to bring a cemetery burial anywhere with you. As a token for special occasions and celebrations, people are ordering cremation diamond rings to be used in weddings, engagements, and anniversaries. There are others made to be passed down from generation to generation to remember a loved one.

Buy Synthetic Diamonds for a Fraction of the Cost of Mined Diamonds 

Memorial or cremation diamonds are authentic diamonds that are identical in terms of physical and chemical properties to mined diamonds but they only cost a fraction of the price of blood diamonds. On average lab-grown diamonds are sold about 20 to 30 percent cheaper than mined diamonds. The price of a cremation diamond is going to vary based on the size and colour that you choose, but you can see pricing information from Heart in Diamond to learn more. There are interest-free diamond financing plans that allow you to buy a memorial diamond for as little as £23 per month. 

Cremation Diamonds are the Newest Craze to hit the Funeral Industry 

Cremation diamonds have certainly changed the face of the funeral industry in the UK. By offering people more choices when it comes to taking care of the cremated ashes of a loved one, people feel better about making the decision to go with cremation instead of a funeral. You can design memorial jewellery down to the very last detail to make a piece of cremation jewellery that is truly special and reflective of the personality of your deceased loved one.

We take a look at the UK’s Latest Trending Funeral Alternative of Turning Ashes Into Diamonds in this blog post on Everything You Need to Know About Cremation Diamonds.