One of the many benefits of choosing cremation is that there are endless ways to use the cremains to memorialize a loved one. You can even create a diamond that looks just like the stones miners pull out of the earth, with the addition of your loved ones cremains.
Cremation diamonds are one of the latest ways to use cremains, but are they real? What exactly are you getting and how are the cremains incorporated?
When you’re memorializing your loved one authenticity matters. This quick read will explain what cremation diamonds are and if they are real stones you’ll treasure for a lifetime.
What Are Lab Grown Diamonds?
First it helps to be familiar with lab grown diamonds. Modern-day technology has given us the ability to create diamonds in a controlled setting. These diamonds are exactly the same as naturally-occurring diamonds physically and chemically, however they are developed in a lab over a relatively short period of time, not in nature over many years.
The creation of diamonds is all about carbon, heat and pressure. If you’re able to heat carbon to a certain temperature under a certain amount of pressure a diamond will form. It’s the same process that’s used for cremation diamonds with a few extra steps to incorporate the cremains.
How Are Cremation Diamonds Made
Many people believe that a person’s spirit is in the cremains, so it’s understandable to want to use the cremains to create something like a diamond that will last forever. Cremation diamonds are possible because of the carbon that is contained in cremains. The first step in creating a cremation diamond is to isolate the carbon that’s in the cremains. At least a few ounces of cremains are needed for the process.
The carbon in cremains is isolated over the course of a few weeks by heating the cremains to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The isolated carbon will then turn into a powder form of graphite. Once powder graphite has formed it must be refined further to turn the powder into a graphite structure that can be used to grow a diamond.
The graphite structure is combined with general carbon and put into a pressurized container that creates 850,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. It also heats the carbon to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slowly crystals form. From the crystals a raw diamond develops. How long it will take for the diamond to grow depends on the size you want.
The raw diamond is removed from the pressurized container to be cleaned, polished and cut. Like the size, the cut is up to you. Some people prefer to have the raw diamond that hasn’t been cut or reshaped. Cremation diamonds can also be colored, but that will need to be decided before the process begins since extra steps are required.
Are Cremation Diamonds Real?
In terms of having the same properties as mined diamonds, yes, cremation diamonds are real. They will be authenticated and given a rating for cut, color and clarity like any other diamond. Certification is always the best way to verify a diamond is authentic.
No two cremation diamonds are ever alike. The carbon make up of cremains alone is enough to give each diamond its own variation. Being able to add touches like microscopic engravings make cremation diamonds even more personal.
Because cremation diamonds offer the same quality as real stones, they can be quite expensive. Depending on the size, color, clarity and cut that’s chosen a cremation diamond can be less than $1,000 or over $20,000. It’s more expensive than spreading the cremains, but can be far less than other options like a space burial.
At Direct Cremate our services include preparing the cremains for the family so that they can be used for whatever purpose you decide. If you’d like to know more about the amount of cremains you can expect to have or how long it will take to receive the cremains, please give us a call or text any time.
