Gay Leclair

While surfing the net the other day, I came across this Web site- lifegem.com.

The company makes diamonds out of your loved ones. That’s right, I said your loved ones.

The process involves an eight-ounce sample of ashes taken from the cremated family member. The ashes are carbon based, and diamonds are also carbon based. Of course, if the loved one in question has a standard burial, carbon can be obtained from a sample of hair from the deceased-about the equivalent of a man’s haircut.

Once the collection has been obtained, the ashes go through a purification process that will transform the carbon into graphite.

In order to create the diamond, the purified graphite must go through the creation process, which simulates how nature creates diamonds-this involves extreme temperatures and pressure. This causes the purified graphite to break down and create atoms that form the diamond. The longer this process continues, the larger the diamond will be.

The Lifegem company claims that the diamond is molecularly similar to diamonds created by nature and have all the qualities sought in a diamond, such as hardness and brilliance.

Finally, when the Lifegem diamond is completed, it will be cut according to the customer’s specifications. It is then certified by a gemologist and given a certificate of authenticity.

The idea behind Lifegem is to give a lasting connection between one who has passed on and those left behind.

It is a nice sentiment, but it begs the question: Why do you need a diamond, made out of your loved one, to help you remember your loved one?

If you loved and cared for the person who passed, they will always be in your heart. Moreover, there will not be a day that goes by that you will not think of them. That is the true connection-the one that really lasts.

A diamond – like a photo or any other memorabilia – can be lost, stolen or destroyed. The loving memories and shared moments cannot be stolen, lost or destroyed-barring Alzheimer’s.

By the way, a Lifegem will cost you around $3,200-$24,999 (depending on the size and cut); a loose diamond-setting will cost more.

A scholarship fund or donation to your loved one’s favorite charity, in their name, would be a better way to honor your departed family member. They would be affecting other people’s lives, in a positive way, even after they are gone.

The other selling point that Lifegem offers is that you will have your loved one with you forever. Nothing lasts forever. That is about the only thing that is certain in this life. We all want to be with the ones we love forever, but there comes a time when you have to let go. Of course, letting go does not mean that you forget about those that have left this world; it means that you have accepted one of the realities of this world. That life is really a series of hellos and goodbyes. What matters most is how we interact with those we love during those hellos, goodbyes and the time in between.