Article: LifeGems
When Robert Bruce passed away last year after a three-year battle with cancer, there was one thing his wife, Linda, and two teenage sons knew for certain. They did not wish to memorialise Robert, beloved father and husband of sixteen years, with an urn on a mantelpiece. Linda made Australian history by choosing to memorialise Robert with the first LifeGem® diamond to arrive on our shores.
LifeGem
LifeGem® - the US based company creating diamonds from cremated remains - is taking the world by storm with their unique memorial gems. The deeply personal nature of a diamond memorial greatly appealed to Linda. "This will mean more to me than just having his ashes sitting there," she says. "It's something I can always have with me."
It is a jewel that Linda keeps truly close, wearing the lustrous 0.4 carat, brilliant cut yellow diamond in a gold band alongside her engagement ring. A diamond sealed Linda and Robert's love sixteen years ago and now, after death, a LifeGem® diamond - the colour of a sunset captured in time - unites them again.
Linda likely did not anticipate the intense interest that followed the arrival of her husband's LifeGem®. When John Gilbertson, Bunurong Memorial Park's CEO, personally delivered the Bruce family heirloom in Western Australia last month, it was an event documented by several newspapers and Channel Seven's current affairs program, Today Tonight. It was a broadcast that touched the hearts of many Australians, resulting in a flurry of enquiries from those keen to immortalise their own loved ones in the world's most desired gemstone.
It's an interest that has not let up since the LifeGem® creators released their invention on August 20, 2002. LifeGem® knew they had a unique product. They did not, however, expect the explosion of media interest that ensued worldwide. The subject of endless radio, newspaper and television coverage spanning the globe, it is estimated that LifeGem® has been introduced to an incredible 650 million people across the world.
LifeGem
The popularity of LifeGem's® unique concept is, they believe, due to a market where few comforting products exist. Clearly, the idea of diamond memorials also resonates deeply with many Australians. Often, the quintessential qualities of a diamond are the same qualities people associate with their loved ones - inner and outer beauty, love and strength. For many, the appeal is easily described by the saying "A diamond is forever." A diamond represents eternity, a love that surpasses time, and can be kept truly close in a way that other memorials may not.
You may already refer LifeGem® enquiries to Bunurong, but would like to answer some of your client's most common enquiries yourself. We frequently receive questions concerning the sensitive nature of handling remains. People often wish to know the amount of cremated remains needed to make a diamond (200g, about 1 cup), and whether multiple diamonds can be created from that amount (yes, depending on the size required). It is possible to make up to 100 diamonds from the entire cremated remains of one person. In some cases, such as stillborn or infant remains, there may not be enough cremated carbon for diamond creation, in which case LifeGem® may use pure carbon as a supplement.
Many enquires are received about whether LifeGem® create diamonds from pet ashes. LifeGem® recognise that, for many people, special pets can be like children and therefore also provide their service for pet lovers. As the processes are the same as for human diamond creation, the costs are also the same.
So how is a LifeGem® diamond created? Man-made diamonds are not a new invention. General Electric invented the process for industrial purposes in the 1950s. Diamonds for personal use have been available since the 1990s. In 1999, however, LifeGem® invented the method for purifying the cremated remains of humans and animals, extracting the carbon and using it as a base for diamond creation.
Just like natural diamonds, a LifeGem® diamond is created from carbon. The carbon is collected from cremated remains and forwarded to LifeGem's® carbon purification facilities. It is even possible to extract carbon from ashes that have been stored for many years. The four-step diamond creation process is surprisingly simple.
Step 1. Collection - 200g, or one cup, of cremated remains is sent via Bunurong Memorial Park to LifeGem's® carbon purification facility in Pennsylvania.
Step 2. Purification - the carbon is heated under special conditions to extremely high temperatures, removing existing ash and converting the carbon to graphite, the natural precursor of diamonds. The unique characteristics and elements of the graphite translate into a diamond that is truly one of a kind.
Step 3. Creation - The graphite is then sent to LifeGem's® diamond creation facility in Florida, where it is placed in a diamond press recreating the natural forces of heat and pressure. A rough diamond crystal forms, its size dependent on the length of time in the press.
Step 4. Certification - The rough diamond is then cut, faceted and polished by LifeGem's® skilled diamond cutters. Each unique diamond is laser etched and certified for authenticity. If a client chooses, for an additional fee their LifeGem® can be set in the jewellery of their choice.
A process that takes millions of years in nature is now possible in a matter of months. The result is a stunning jewel, unique in every way with enormous personal significance to its owner. "It's almost like a rebirth for him," said one mother, touched by her son's recreation as a diamond when his birthday occurred during the creation process.
The costs attached to LifeGem® diamond creation varies according to the desired diamond size. Starting at approximately $A 3,000 for a 0.2 ct diamond, LifeGems® increase in price as they increase in size, up to approximately $A14,000 for 1 ct. Naturally, the larger the diamond, the longer it takes to create. A 0.2 ct diamond can be created in approximately four months, while 1ct can take up to 18 months. Colour also affects the creation time. Blue and red diamonds have a longer creation time than yellow, due to an order backlog and alternative technology requirements. Orders for blue and red diamonds are currently on a waiting list. For these reasons blue and red LifeGems® also attract a slight cost increase.
LifeGem require payment in full at the time of placing an order, as well as an additional postage and handling fee of $AU 170.00. An import duty is also payable to customs at time of delivery. For many people, like the young wife who lost her husband recently, the sentimental value of her LifeGem® outweighs its cost. "It's my husband so cost really isn't an issue," she says. "Some things are more important, don't you think?"
It is a feeling clearly shared by others, reflected in steadily growing interest in LifeGem® Australia-wide. Should you require any further information, we invite you to visit LifeGem's® website at www.lifegem.com, or call Michelle Sabau, Bunurong Memorial Park's LifeGem® contact, on 03 9788 9488.
http://www.bunurong.com.au/articles/lifegem.asp