Who wants to be a solitaire?
January 4th 2010 00:11
Today it is. Just go to www.lifegem.com and see.
The American company says, "Your LifeGem memorial will offer comfort and support when and where you need it, and provide a lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does. Forever."
Just in case you have found the opening paragraphs of this article surreal, or find yourself blinking rapidly and repeatedly saying "Huh?", let us put this plainly: LifeGem takes the corpse of your loved one, and burns it, and gathers the carbon, and turns it into a diamond and, after you hand over a lot of money, gives you the gem.
Is this morbid or perhaps tacky? Heck, no!
"If you desire an everlasting connection to the one you have lost, the LifeGem is right for you. Each LifeGem, as a celebration of life, tells a unique story and represents a new beginning," says the company blurb.
The process, LifeGem says, involves six months during which the ashes are heated to produce graphite which is then placed into a diamond press and subjected to high pressure. What comes out is a raw crystal that is then polished and shaped. You can even choose your own colour — blue, red, green, yellow and "now even colorless" are available.
"Like a sunset captured in time or a wave upon the ocean, each LifeGem will have its own individual hue within the color family you choose."
The managing director of LifeGem in the UK, David Hampson, told the BBC, "Some people may think that it's not for them and we expect a lot of people will feel like that. But it really is a 21st Century version of Victorian mourning jewellery, of chopping off a piece of hair and putting it in a locket."
Nice try David, but we'll stick with the hair in a locket option.
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