When you die, your body will either be planted in the earth, placed in a mausoleum, cremated, or perhaps preserved cryogenically. For some people their fate will be much different than that: their ashes will be transformed into diamonds. Yes, thanks to a process developed by a Swiss company, Algordanza, ashes can be turned into something beautiful and worn by loved ones.
At Algordanza’s laboratory, more than one dozen machines run constantly turning ashes into beauty. Potassium and calcium, which makes up some 85% of the ashes, are first separated from the carbon. Then the carbon is subjected to high heat and tremendous pressure, a process which compresses the remains into graphite, a carbon allotrope, or a different form of carbon. The complete transformation process is lengthy, some six to eight weeks in all, but when complete a crude diamond is the result, ready for polishing and cutting.
Diamonds Vary In Color
Since it only takes approximately 500 grams of ashes to make a diamond, not all ashes are needed as the average body leaves behind between 2.5 and 3 kg of ashes. The color of the diamond varies from dark blue to almost white, a difference one Algordanza representative says is a reflection of the decedent’s personality.
The company receives 40 to 50 commissions monthly and at a cost ranging from approximately US$4400 to US$16700, is actually cheaper than what a burial costs in Germany: US$19,000. The price differential is based on the size of the resultant diamond which can range from 0.25 to 1 carat. The cost for setting the diamond is extra.
The Booming “Life Gem” Movement
Since its founding in 2004, Algordanza has gone international and now has twenty locations worldwide. Other companies are now providing the same type of service (called life gems) in Russia, the US, Spain, and the Ukraine. China and India are considered to be strong future markets while Japan provides the largest number of customers for Algordanza with two to four urns arriving daily.
So, if death comes knocking today will you be ready? Regardless, your survivors may decide to keep you around forever by turning your ashes into something beautiful if not a little bit cryptic.
