LifeGem
LifeGem is a company offering to synthesize diamonds from the carbonized remains of people or pets. The company was founded in 2001 by Greg Herro, Mike Herro, and Rusty VandenBiesen, and was first based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It is now headquartered in Chicago and a second office, under the name LifeGem UK, was recently opened in Hove, England. It is important to note that, at present, there is no nondestructive method of testing the origin of carbon used in diamond synthesis: It has yet to be independently verified that LifeGem products (patent pending) are indeed composed—either in part or in whole—of human remains, or if the carbon is from another source.
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The gems
These synthetic diamonds—distinct from diamond imitations like cubic zirconia, as they precisely duplicate natural diamonds in both optical and physical properties—are touted as "memorial diamonds" and range in price from USD $2,500 for 0.20–0.29 carat (40 to 59 mg) stones to $14,000 for stones weighing 0.90–0.99 carats (180–199 mg). The company claims it can extract enough purified carbon from one human body to synthesize up to 50 gems weighing one carat (0.2 g) each. As little as 227 g of cremains are needed to make one diamond. Diamonds made from the cremains of pets are priced the same as those made from human cremains, but the size of the animal may be a limiting factor. As of March 2005, LifeGem says it has served 1,000 families since the company's founding.
The process
Interested customers are directed to affiliated funeral homes equipped with the necessary tools; LifeGem claims to use a "carbon curing" container to collect the human remains halfway through the cremation process. The carbon is supposedly converted to graphite after purification, from which point it is sent to a diamond synthesis facility. As of spring 2003 the task of synthesis was given exclusively to Lucent Diamonds of Colorado. The diamonds were made via the thermal gradient method by a team of Russian scientists using iron alloys as a flux at pressures of 5.0–6.0 GPa and temperatures of 1,600–2,000 °C. The entire process, from cremation to finished stone, is said to take about six months.
Due to boron impurities present in the carbon, most LifeGem synthetic diamonds produced up to 2003 were Type IIb and were a light to medium blue in colour. Iron flux inclusions within the stones also rendered them magnetic. Apparently, the synthesis process has since been modified: Current production consists of strong yellow to golden yellow and brownish yellow material, probably Type Ib with evenly distributed substitutional nitrogen responsible for the colours. This newer material may or may not be magnetic.
Three standard diamond cuts are offered to customers: Round brilliant, radiant, and princess (the latter two cuts are rectangular and square in outline, respectively). The company will also take requests for custom cuts. The finished stones are laser inscribed with an identifier (and a tribute for an extra fee), graded by gemmologists, and are given a certificate.
References
- Gallegos, D., Wolfe, R. (2005). Sparkling in memory. DenverPost.com. Retrieved 12 April, 2005 from http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2771085,00.html.
- Laurs, B. M., Overton, T. W. (2003). LifeGem synthetic diamonds. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 39 No. 1., p. 62. Gemological Institute of America.
- Novotny, M. (2005). The ultimate family jewel. MSNBC News: Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Retrieved 12 April, 2005 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4751684.