Ashes To Diamonds Research Paper
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to… Diamonds?
Grand romantic dedications to departed loved ones might seem the stuff of movies. Works of art and literary prose are not typically a part of funeral arrangements. The subject of death makes most of us uncomfortable, and we would rather stick to interring our loved ones’ remains in the ground and ordering flowers than get too far out of the box.
One company aims to change that EverDear & Co., based in the US, specializes in the creation of something called “memorial diamonds.” Real diamonds, with a twist: these are created in a lab from human ashes. While the idea may initially throw off some funeral traditionalists, many people are drawn to the romantic aspect of a beautiful, tangible remembrance that will …show more content…
These distinctive stones are identical to their natural cousins—perhaps even more perfect—and require only a few weeks to create. (Mined diamonds do not necessarily take much longer than that to form, but they remain trapped underground for millions of years.)
What is a memorial diamond?
The memorial diamonds created by EverDear & Co. start with the cremation ashes of the deceased. Carbon is meticulously extracted from hair and ashes—whatever is left after the cremation process. The carbon is reduced to its purest form, then submitted to high heat and intense pressure in a specially-designed chamber. The HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) press takes a couple of weeks to complete the task of taking carbon from dust to diamond.
Because of the controlled laboratory conditions, the cremation diamonds themselves are considered more perfect than natural diamonds. EverDear & Co. scores its diamonds on the internationally-recognized grading scale of the “4 Cs”—Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat. The diamonds come in a variety of sizes, depending on client preference. They are naturally slightly tinted, and although EverDear & Co. can alter the final color to Blue, Yellow/Gold, or Colorless, the final intensity of the diamond’s color will depend on the chemical structure of the individual’s ashes.
Grand romantic dedications to departed loved ones might seem the stuff of movies. Works of art and literary prose are not typically a part of funeral arrangements. The subject of death makes most of us uncomfortable, and we would rather stick to interring our loved ones’ remains in the ground and ordering flowers than get too far out of the box.
One company aims to change that EverDear & Co., based in the US, specializes in the creation of something called “memorial diamonds.” Real diamonds, with a twist: these are created in a lab from human ashes. While the idea may initially throw off some funeral traditionalists, many people are drawn to the romantic aspect of a beautiful, tangible remembrance that will …show more content…
These distinctive stones are identical to their natural cousins—perhaps even more perfect—and require only a few weeks to create. (Mined diamonds do not necessarily take much longer than that to form, but they remain trapped underground for millions of years.)
What is a memorial diamond?
The memorial diamonds created by EverDear & Co. start with the cremation ashes of the deceased. Carbon is meticulously extracted from hair and ashes—whatever is left after the cremation process. The carbon is reduced to its purest form, then submitted to high heat and intense pressure in a specially-designed chamber. The HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) press takes a couple of weeks to complete the task of taking carbon from dust to diamond.
Because of the controlled laboratory conditions, the cremation diamonds themselves are considered more perfect than natural diamonds. EverDear & Co. scores its diamonds on the internationally-recognized grading scale of the “4 Cs”—Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat. The diamonds come in a variety of sizes, depending on client preference. They are naturally slightly tinted, and although EverDear & Co. can alter the final color to Blue, Yellow/Gold, or Colorless, the final intensity of the diamond’s color will depend on the chemical structure of the individual’s ashes.