From Ashes To Ashes To Diamonds: A Way To Treasure The Dead - Polidicks

[URL="http://www.npr.org/2014/01/19/263128098/swiss-company-compresses-cremation-ashes-into-diamonds"]NPR Link[/URL] [quote=NPR]Swiss company Algordanza takes cremated human remains and — under high heat and pressure that mimic conditions deep within the Earth — compresses them into diamonds. Rinaldo Willy, the company's founder and CEO, says he came up with the idea a decade ago. Since then, his customer base has expanded to 24 countries. Each year, the remains of between 800 and 900 people enter the facility. About three months later, they exit as diamonds, to be kept in a box or turned into jewelry. Most of the stones come out blue, Willy says, because the human body contains trace amounts of boron, an element that may be involved in bone formation. Occasionally, though, a diamond pops out white, yellow or close to black – Willy's not sure why. Regardless, he says, "every diamond from each person is slightly different. It's always a unique diamond." Most of the orders Algordanza receives come from relatives of the recently deceased, though some people make arrangements for themselves to become diamonds once they've died. Willy says about 25 percent of his customers are from Japan. At between $5,000 and $22,000, the process costs as much as some funerals. The process and machinery involved are about the same as in a lab that makes synthetic diamonds from other carbon materials.[/quote] Always wanted my ashes tossed into space, but a diamond works too.

I think that the idea is really cool not just because 'its an expensive diamond!' but the idea that each of them is unique is too

To be honest, 5k-22k isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thought it would be some obscenely overpriced ultra-rich toy service to say they turned their pet hamster into a diamond or someshit.

I expected some sort of sequel to [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashes_to_Ashes_%28TV_series%29]Ashes to Ashes[/url] using Diamond Dogs as a title. Disappointed. (Especially since this was in the news less than a week ago.)

That's actually pretty cool. Better than a funeral IMHO (if for myself, that is).

This has existed for quite some while, man. It's a nice way to remember your loved ones, but there also comes the possibility that they're more noticeable by thieves, which would be a horrific event in any case.

I always wanted to turn my enemies into diamonds

Imagine losing your mom twice

[QUOTE=Swilly;43596853]Always wanted my ashes tossed into space, but a diamond works too.[/QUOTE] Why not have your ashes turned into a diamond, and then tossed into space?

I wouldn't want to be kept around as some static object that will collect dust and never be part of anything significant again. I want to return to the earth and fuel new shit.

[QUOTE=Explosions;43598430]I wouldn't want to be kept around as some static object that will collect dust and never be part of anything significant again. I want to return to the earth and fuel new shit.[/QUOTE] Wouldn't it be great if your energy fueled the next century's Beiber equivalent?

[QUOTE=Explosions;43598430]I wouldn't want to be kept around as some static object that will collect dust and never be part of anything significant again. I want to return to the earth and fuel new shit.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial"]Sky burial[/URL]

[QUOTE=Sgt. Nikolai;43597525]I always wanted to turn my enemies into diamonds[/QUOTE] It'll be quite badass, imagine hitting up chicks in bars: 'I have a ring made out of the ashes of my enemies, wanna fuck?'

[QUOTE=lifehole;43597202]To be honest, 5k-22k isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thought it would be some obscenely overpriced ultra-rich toy service to say they turned their pet hamster into a diamond or someshit.[/QUOTE] Why does it cost so much? Didn't they do this on a TV show and all they did was just leave it under a really hot flame for half a day? Probably using the "You want the best for your loved ones, don't you?" excuse

[QUOTE]under high heat and pressure that mimic conditions deep within the Earth [/QUOTE] To clarify, that is a massive amount of heat and pressure. It's done on a industrial scale, but only to make tiny particles, to make a ring sized gem requires a lot of time and energy, hence the price.

[QUOTE=shian;43599046]It'll be quite badass, imagine hitting up chicks in bars: 'I have a ring made out of the ashes of my enemies, wanna fuck?'[/QUOTE] It still amounts to 'ey baby wanna fuck' and will probably get you slapped, even these days. :v: