TABLE OF CONTENT
Your mom passed away after a long illness, and you miss her. So you decide to keep her with you always. But how? Now, there are companies turning loved ones' ashes into precious diamonds. You can keep your mom's memory alive and immortal by turning her remains into a fabulous diamond.
Blood Diamond and Kimberley Process
Those who have seen the movie Blood Diamond may have a slight clue about this. We call blood Diamonds conflict diamonds too. Rebel movements and their allies sell them in conflict-ridden countries in Africa. This finances their fight against legitimate governments. The world created the Kimberley Process to prevent such terror financing. It regulates the trade in blood or rough diamonds by imposing an international certification scheme. They govern the trade in these blood diamonds and help promote the flow of conflict-free diamonds.
It represents 85 countries with 59 participants, with the European Community counted as a single entity. These also include regional economic organizations that include all major participants in the production, exporting, and importing of conflict-free diamonds. All organizations, including the World Diamond Council (WDC), have been involved since the beginning. They contribute to the strict and effective monitoring and implementation of the legitimate blood diamond trade.
The Kimberley Process is not entirely an international organization. As in, it does not have permanent offices or staff. You can call it an understanding or rather a willing contribution by member nations and civil society under the 'burden sharing' principle. The KCPS or Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has minimum requirements that participant nations or aspiring members must fulfill.
Tree burial is also one of the natural burials allowed in Germany. Tree burial is a burial in which the urn of the deceased is interred beneath the roots of a tree chosen by the deceased during his or her lifetime. They find their final resting place in the roots under a canopy of green leaves. Similar to burial in the ground, tree burials can only be performed with the help of a funeral director in areas permitted by the Burial Law, also known as forest cemeteries.
Anonymous Burial
One of the most frequently asked questions on this topic is: Is anonymous burial allowed in Germany? And the answer is: Yes, of course! If the deceased chose an anonymous burial during his or her lifetime, or if the deceased's family chose to have an anonymous burial, there is no headstone, the deceased's name is not mentioned during the funeral, and the family cannot attend the funeral or find out through the funeral home where the deceased is buried.
In some German cities, complete anonymity is gradually being replaced by semi- or partially anonymous burials. This means that the family of the deceased may be present at the cemetery and be told about the exact location of the burial spot by the funeral home. Anonymous burial is a very cost-effective form of burial, as neither a funeral service nor regular maintenance of the cemetery is required.
Conflict-Free and Eco-friendly Diamonds
Many African countries have rebel groups terrorizing the local governments. Mining and trading rough diamonds illegally at exorbitant prices was a means of funding them. Rebel groups used this money to fund future acts of terror against the establishment. We also call these diamonds conflict diamonds.
Eventually, we formed the Kimberley Process. This process monitors this illegal trade thoroughly. We mine and source diamonds ethically from these countries now.
Participating countries follow a strict set of rules. We get conflict-free diamonds through mining and trading via the Kimberley Process. Countries use this money for completely legal activities. The Kimberly Process drastically reduced such rebel activities, bringing more peace.
Eco-friendly diamonds or sustainable diamonds are the need of the hour. These lab-grown diamonds are ethically sourced. Also, any recycled diamond that is resized, reset, or reused is an eco-friendly diamond. We often mine natural diamonds from the earth, causing great environmental damage. They have a very negative impact on climate change.
Every time a diamond is mined, we use around 130 gallons of water. Acid runoff impacts a billion more liters. They also plow around 250 tonnes of the earth each time. These have brought disasters like deforestation, flooding to drought. They are also unethical, marginalizing the local village and community needs. The good part is that nowadays, most traders deal with ethical diamonds. We mine these diamonds under safe working conditions and also pay the workers pretty well. Let us see some types of eco-friendly diamonds:
Lab-grown Diamonds
These are just like natural diamonds, i.e., they go through the same process but in a laboratory. They are slowly growing as a popular option among many as they are eco-friendly and as durable as a natural diamond. Scientists imitate the million-year process of heat and pressure used in the formation of a natural diamond in a laboratory. They are considered sustainable as they don't undergo the mining process that is harmful to the planet.
Recycled Diamonds
Mined diamonds that have been refurbished are known as recycled diamonds. The source of these diamonds is usually unknown and mostly unethical. But as they are reset, recut, and even reused, we also call them sustainable. This prevents any more diamonds from being created or mined using unethical mining processes. It is still better for our planet in the overall context of things. They are another sought-after form of eco-friendly diamonds as they are comparatively cheaper than natural and other sustainable diamonds.
Carbon-Negative Diamonds
This is probably one of the most eco-friendly forms of the diamond out there. Here, scientists take carbon out of the atmosphere and create it into diamonds. This makes them the world's first carbon-negative diamonds. Every one-carat diamond is made using at least twenty metric tons of carbon and pollution from the air. They are truly sustainable in the real sense! A very creative process, we literally convert carbon from the atmosphere into crystal form.
Turn Ashes into Diamonds
1. Is the Diamond Turned from Ashes Conflict-Free and Eco-friendly?
Laboratories now process your loved one's cremation ashes into diamonds. They are completely eco-friendly and conflict-free. You will be satisfied to know that the diamond made from your loved ones' remains was not mined and sourced unethically. It has not funded any rebel or terrorist activity in any country.
Lonite™ is one such company that turns cremation ashes into authentic diamonds. All you need to do is specify the diamond setting and grade. Some even turn the remains of their beloved pet into beautiful diamonds as a keepsake. A few scientists create them in a laboratory. This does not involve any environmental damage. No community feels unsafe and preyed upon.
2. How to Turn Ashes into Diamonds?
First, we collect a sample from the deceased loved ones. The relatives provide the type and grade of diamond they want. Scientists then extract carbon from the cremation ash and add it to a diamond-growing foundation. Now, this ash is subject to high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) machines. This imitates the natural conditions deep within the mines and earth where diamonds are made.
The diamond growing process takes a few days to complete. After that, specialists polish and cut the diamond to almost resemble natural diamonds. We do this as per the type and grade are given by the customer. We then take your diamond through the grading process. Here we use factors like cut, clarity, color, and carat.
3. Where Can Turn Ashes into Diamonds?
LONITÉ™ lets you convert your deceased loved one's ashes into a strikingly beautiful ring. This advanced technology mimics the process of natural diamond creation. People use ashes or even their loved one's hair. There are many sites and companies online that specialize in this. They use 200g of cremation ashes or 10g of human hair for this process.
This process typically takes three to six months. This again changes according to the color and size of the diamond. But this is definitely way better than waiting a thousand years for a precious piece of this rock. It involves less time and effort.
Converting a loved one's cremation ashes into a diamond may sound odd to some. But this is one of the most beautiful ways to commemorate a loved one's memory. Now, you have an ethically created and conflict-free diamond. Despite the efforts of the Kimberley Process, the trade for blood diamonds or rough diamonds is still rampant. But we still put considerable effort into preventing this. It involves almost all countries and organizational bodies in the world.