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Every Body Is A Diamond In The Rough

By Desdemona Bandini

Chicago pilot Rusty VandenBiesen used to visit his grandmother in Germany and stare at the religious icons on her walls, pondering his mortality. He didn't like thinking about what might happen to him after he died. He didn't want to be stuck in an urn on top of a fireplace or have his tombstone left unattended.

One day, VandenBiesen realized that cremation creates carbon and carbon creates diamonds, and that epiphany gave birth to his company, LifeGem, which takes the carbon from a deceased loved one or pet and creates a timeless heirloom and memorial: a yellow diamond.

"Having a physical memorial offers grieving individuals a way of symbolizing the relationship that existed between them and the deceased," said Tony Bell, a Cal State Fullerton sociology professor who teaches a class on death and dying. "The death of a beloved spouse, in comparison to other life events, has been rated as producing the highest level of stress and literature suggests this grief is likely to last for years."

Statistics from the Cremation Association of North America show that out of the 2 million deaths in 1970, there were 90,000 cremations performed. In 2003, there were 2.5 million deaths and more than 700,000 cremations were performed.

"If you take a moment and look at the options out there, you may at first think it is creepy, but it is actually the least creepy option of all," said Mike Herro, LifeGem's chief financial officer.

Creating a LifeGem is a four-part process. Herro said that LifeGem requires one standard measuring cup of ashes from the deceased and that one cup can create 10-12 diamonds.

The first step is choosing the diamond's size and cut. Round is the most popular cut, but princess and radiant are also available. Next, the carbon is subjected to extremely high heat for purification purposes and the carbon turns into graphite. Then, the graphite is put into a unique diamond press while heat and pressure are applied. Finally, the diamonds are cut according to specifications, graded and then certified for authenticity.

Depending on the size and cut selected, the process takes four-six months and cost ranges from $2,500 to $14,000. In the end, the result is a yellow diamond monument of a loved one. The largest LifeGem made to date is 1.55 carats.

Oscar Aurelio, a CSUF biology professor, said the trick is all in how the body is cremated and the impurities are disposed. Aurelio is not sure how the company does that.

"On the LifeGem site you can see that the diamonds are yellowed - low quality - and one would be paying for the 'uniqueness' and labor of making the diamonds," Aurelio said. "Of course, there is no way a customer would know that the diamond they receive was actually made from their loved one or was a castoff from a jeweler down the street."

Aurelio had no prior knowledge of the new LifeGem process and had his doubts.

"It is possible to synthetically make diamonds, I just don't know if it is possible to make one from a 'loved one' or pet," Aurelio said.

Kelly Bovard, a United States Geological Survey scientist and CSUF professor, said that in theory it would be possible to take carbon atoms from the deceased and turn it into a diamond.

"I have definitely heard of making diamonds in laboratories. I know that is done and I know small diamonds can be made, but I am not sure about larger diamonds. As for using the tissue of dead loved ones? No, I have never heard of this," Bovard said.

Actress Drea de Matteo from NBC's "Joey" recently announced on "The Carson Daly Show" that she planned to turn her deceased dog into a LifeGem, leaving Daly to question if the dog would be used to create earrings or a necklace.

Herro said most people choose to put their LifeGems into rings and that many women replace their wedding ring diamonds with LifeGems after a spouse dies. After rings, pendants are the most popular, Herro said.

If some time has passed since a loved one died, it is not too late to make a LifeGem. According to the company's Web site, "we can create a LifeGem from previously existing remains from many, many years ago. Carbon that exists in your loved ones' remains will be accessible for a very long time."

To the company's founders, the concept of creating a LifeGem is more than having a memorial.

"This is not about death and dying. This is about capturing the essence of someone and celebrating life," Herro said. "It really brings such peace and joy to people during a difficult time ... You should see the letters of gratitude we get from people, it is just humbling."

As for the company name, Bell was struck by the positive ideas associated with it.

"It is totally disconnected from anything having to do with death and dying. 'Life' can be associated with lifetime, long lasting... and 'gem' is associated with gemstone, valuable," Bell said.

Herro admitted the founders thought for a long time to come up with the right name and have heard every joke in the book.

"Can you believe we tossed around the idea of 'The Family Jewels'?" Herro said. "The name LifeGem really encompasses what we are trying to do and that is to celebrate a wonderful life."

© Desdemona Bandini