- THIS LITTLE PIGGY: This blue diamond was pressed from
the cremated remains of a pig.
- Now you can have your loved ones wrapped around your
little finger, even after they're dead.
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- An Illinois company says it has perfected a new process
to make diamonds from the deceased. For a few thousand dollars, LifeGem
will extract the carbon from the cremated remains of your relative or pet,
and press it into a synthetic diamond.
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- Dean VandenBiesen, vice-president of operations at LifeGem,
said the idea for the company came from his brother Rusty, now the company's
chief operating officer.
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- "The traditional methods of burial or having ashes
in an urn just didn't sit right with him," VandenBiesen said. "But
he realized that man is made of carbon and diamonds are made of carbon
so he just put the two ideas together."
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- VandenBiesen said it took three years for the company
to perfect the process through tests on animal remains and a cadaver. The
company reached its goal last month, using the remains of a pig to produce
diamonds in a range of colours.
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- "Pigs don't fly, but they do sparkle," VandenBiesen
said.
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- The diamonds produced in the pig test were later certified
as gem-quality stones by the European Gemological Laboratory. The lab,
which is the standard laboratory used for certifying natural and synthetic
diamonds, was unaware of the pig factor.
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- Synthetic diamonds have been created in presses since
the 1950s. The process basically involves putting the carbon under extreme
pressure and heat. Other elements, such as boron or nitrogen, can be added
to alter the colour.
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- LifeGem has produced red, blue and yellow diamonds in
past tests, but is currently focusing on selling blue diamonds because
it is confident the high-quality stones can be repeatedly produced.
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- Prices for LifeGem stones start at around $4,000 U.S.
for a 0.25 carat blue diamond. As with regular synthetic diamonds, the
larger the stone, the higher the price: a 0.75 carat stone costs $17,000.
That includes the shipping fee for the remains of the deceased to get both
to and from a crematorium in Wisconsin.
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- LifeGem only needs about a thimble full of remains to
make a diamond; the rest of the ashes are sent back to the family.
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- VandenBiesen said the four-person company now has a backlog
of orders, though he wouldn't specify how many people had put down a deposit.
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- VandenBiesen said he hopes to expand the company through
funeral homes in Canada but said Canadians can contact LifeGem directly.
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- Those in the U.S. can also sign up for the LifeGem service
through a handful of local funeral homes across the country, but the body
must be shipped to LifeGem's first and only registered crematorium: Parkview
Cremations in Fond Du Lac, Wisc.
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- Once there, the body undergoes a carefully monitored
cremation process.
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- "If you let it go too long, you lose the carbon,"
said Del Waldschmidt, crematory manager at Parkview. The carbon extracted
from the remains is then taken to the LifeGem lab and put into a diamond
press.
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