Is it possible to make a diamond out of a person?

Methods of handling the bodies of the deceased changed from era to era. But few could have imagined what sometimes unexpected prospects 21st century technologies would open up in this field. Thus, in the last decade, a service has become popular, which is stated more clearly than any other words by the advertising of the pioneer company: “Do you dream of dying in luxury? Using the latest technology, we will turn your ashes into a diamond!” The Algordanza company is a cross between a funeral parlour, a laboratory and a jewelry salon. It is located in Switzerland, and its name means “memory” in translation from the Romansh language.

Diamond from human ashes. Price.

The cost of diamonds from dust varies from 5 to 22 thousand USD.

Diamond from human ashes. Price depends:

• Desired diamond size;
• The choice is to leave the diamond after cutting in a casket made of precious wood, or to include the jewel in a necklace, ring, pendant or other piece of jewelry.

How often are dust diamonds ordered?

It may seem that such an exotic service has not yet found its market. But the numbers indicate the opposite: during 2016, more than 800 urns with ashes arrived at Algordanza – every day more than 2 people begin their posthumous transformation into diamonds from ashes.

How long does it take to make a diamond from dust?

The process of making a diamond from ashes and accessories takes 2-4 months.

Why are diamonds made from dust?

There are several common reasons for deciding to do this. For example, family members (usually wives and mothers) strive to give the deceased a gift of transformation into a piece of jewelry, driven by the intention of keeping a piece of their loved one close to them.

Sometimes they sign a lifetime contract for a “diamond future”: more often those who have been diagnosed with a fatal disease.

History of the idea

The author of the idea is Rinaldo Willy. The story of how he came up with such an unusual idea deserves coverage in itself – since, like many other projects that subsequently gained success, its birth was due to chance.

According to Rinaldo, while studying at the Faculty of Economics in the early 2000s, on the recommendation of one of the professors, he read an article by a scientist from Russia on a new method for making artificial diamonds from ash for use as semiconductors. Rinaldo was sure that this meant the ashes of cremated people, while they were talking about ashes of plant origin, for example, leaves, bark, etc.

Inspired by the idea, Rinaldo began asking the teacher about the stages of obtaining synthetic diamonds from human ashes. The error was identified, but the professor and the student admitted that the idea had good prospects. The partners subsequently contacted a Russian scientist whose laboratory equipment was suitable for the first steps in diamond synthesis. From this collaboration Algordanza grew.

Symbol of indestructibility and eternity of memory

One of the most common questions Rinaldo is asked is: what attracted him to the idea of ​​​​making diamonds from dust? His answer lies in the field of aesthetics: a diamond is a jewel that embodies our ideas of beauty. Rinaldo was inspired by the idea of ​​​​transforming a dead body into something that is pleasant to hold in his hands and that will please the eye.

This approach contrasts itself with huge, overcrowded cemeteries and deserted burial grounds, where sometimes the connection with the deceased is extremely ephemeral. A diamond, among other things, cannot be scattered, as sometimes happens with the ashes of a cremated person – the precious stone becomes an embodied memory, which is passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom.

Rinaldo prefers “indestructibility” (diamond = adamas, from Greek “indestructible”) to the term “eternity” (cf. “eternal memory”) – after all, the memory of the deceased lives as long as people continue to honor it. A diamond created from dust makes the memory of a person indestructible.

Technology

Each stage of diamond synthesis takes place on the territory of the Algordanza laboratory, as soon as the ashes are delivered to it after cremation. Depending on the legislation of the country of the deceased, the ashes are delivered in one batch or in 2 urns at different times (so that they are not lost if something goes wrong during shipment).

The next stage is the treatment of the ashes with special chemical reagents that concentrate all the carbon from the ashes without a trace. The amorphous carbon is further converted into layered graphite using a traditional high-temperature process.

Finally, the final phase involves recreating the conditions under which, over millions of years, diamonds formed deep in the Earth at enormous pressures and temperatures.

It takes about a couple of months to create one diamond.

Characteristics of ashes diamonds

The average size of a rough diamond is 4 carats, decreasing to 1 carat upon completion of cutting (in rare cases, to 1,6-1,8). The more time the graphite is in the device, the more time the graphite is in the device, the more time it takes for a gemstone to be made: the growth of the diamond’s crystalline structure occurs slowly.

Since two grams of carbon are enough to create one diamond, several diamonds can be made from human ashes. Over several years of communication with clients, it became clear that most often orders for the production of several diamonds from one ashes are made by the Japanese, who want close relatives to receive memorial diamonds.

Theoretical calculations show: the average volume of human ashes yields 50 diamonds. But so far we can only get 9.

It should be noted that human ashes are also of varying quality (although at first glance it is easy to assume the opposite). In cases where a person had dentures or was undergoing treatment, the ashes may contain chemical impurities. They are not completely screened out during carbon extraction, which reduces the quality of the diamond. Similar circumstances also change the color of the jewelry: for example, undergoing chemotherapy throughout life shifts the shade of the diamond to light.

In most cases, blue-colored diamonds predominate, which is due to the presence of boron in the ashes. Just like the autobiographical uniqueness of the people whose ashes come into the company, even after turning them into diamonds, the color of each of them is unique and varies in an extremely wide range: from deep black to transparent without any shades.

Many clients ask whether there is a difference between diamonds obtained in a laboratory from ash and those formed naturally. The most correct answer is that they are “vanishingly small,” and in the most literal sense. Everything that natural diamonds are famous for is found in their synthetic counterparts. Even a top-class jeweler will not be able to tell the difference. The only way to tell the difference is through chemical screening. There is no difference to the human eye.

It is worth noting that, despite the special path to the “memorial diamonds” market, Algordanza is not a monopolist in this area. There are at least 5 competitors: in the USA, Great Britain and in Switzerland.

You might be interested in:

• Death mask
• Become a tree posthumously
• Digital memorial-gravestone

In nature, diamonds and other precious stones are formed in the depths of the Earth from carbon under the influence of high pressure and very high temperatures. Currently, modern equipment and technologies make it possible to artificially create the same conditions, which in turn makes it possible to obtain artificial diamonds.

Amorphous carbon is isolated from the provided material using special reagents, which is then placed in special chambers where they are exposed to special environmental conditions. This process takes a long time, taking approximately two to four months to produce one diamond.

Below is a diagram of the HPHT press that is used to achieve the high pressure and temperature conditions required to grow diamond.

The weight of the diamond obtained in this way is small – about four carats, and if it is subsequently cut, after which it turns into a diamond, its weight is reduced to one or two carats.

How much material is required to make one diamond?

For example, on average, when the body of the deceased is cremated, approximately 250 to 300 grams of ashes remain. Moreover, to make one diamond you will need only a few grams of the ashes of the deceased. So, in principle, you can order the production of several diamonds. Calculations show that you can get up to 50 diamonds from the ashes of one deceased person.

Interesting Facts

All diamonds made from human ashes are different in color and density. The color and density of the stones depend on what kind of life a person led, what illness he had, and what he died from. For example, the presence of implants in the body of the deceased affects the structure of the diamond. And if the deceased underwent chemotherapy during his lifetime, the diamond turns out to be light.

How much does it cost to make a memory diamond in Russia?

We are already accepting orders – make sure to pre-order!

The cost of this service abroad varies from 5000 to 22000 US dollars – our price is cheaper!

Do you only produce diamonds from human ashes?

No, we can use the ashes of cremated pets. We can also synthesize artificial diamonds (diamonds) from non-carbon materials – wool, human hair, leather, wood. Using special equipment, we clean the material from organic and inorganic substances, after which only carbon remains, which will be converted into a diamond during the synthesis process.

A bit of history

The author of the idea of ​​​​making diamonds from human ashes is Rinaldo Willey. According to him, in the early 2000s, when he was studying at the Faculty of Economics of a well-known university, on the advice of one of the teachers, Rinaldo read an article by a scientist from Russia, which described a method for producing artificial diamonds from ash. The article actually talked about ashes of plant origin (bark, leaves, etc.), but then Rinaldo decided that we were talking about the ashes of cremated dead.

Rinaldo was inspired by this idea, and he began to ask his mentor about the technology for producing artificial diamonds from the ashes of the deceased. And even when it turned out that Willie had misunderstood the article, both he and his teacher admitted that the idea of ​​​​using human ashes as a material for producing artificial diamonds had very great prospects. Subsequently, they established contact with a Russian scientist (the author of the article), and together they began to develop technology for creating diamonds from the ashes of the dead. Subsequently, Rinaldo Willey founded the Algordanza company, which produces memorial diamonds.

Diamonds are precious and pure. They are radically different from today’s cemeteries, overcrowded with graves and abandoned, where you feel no real connection with the dead. I was inspired by the idea of ​​turning dead bodies into something pleasing to the eye, something you can touch. I also love the fact that the diamond is preserved and can be passed down from generation to generation. Diamonds cannot be taken and scattered at some point, as happens with ashes from cremation.

Rinaldo Willey (from interview)

Where to order a memory diamond

To order this service, contact our managers by phone: