FUN FACT: How can you turn death into diamonds?

LifeGem makes diamonds with carbon from cremated remains.

To start the process, separate 8 ounces of your loved one’s ashes and ship them in a container. LifeGem takes about 6 months to create a diamond – not bad, considering it takes Mother Nature one to three million years to do the same. Carbon is extracted from the remains and heated to extremely high temperatures under special conditions which convert the carbon to graphite. The graphite is then placed in one of LifeGem’s diamond presses, replicating the forces of nature. The longer it is in the press, the larger the rough diamond crystal that is produced. Finally, diamond-cutters facet the gem according to your specifications. The diamonds are inspected, graded, and certified by gemologists, who can attest to its cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.

Greg Herro, CEO of LifeGem, says he can make up to 50 diamonds with one person’s ashes. Luckily, the process works no matter how long you have had the ashes. LifeGem can even make a diamond out of your pet!

To learn more about fun creative ways to dispose of your remains, check out Exit Strategy: Thinking Outside the Box by Michelle Cromer.

FUN FACT: Who originated the tradition of burial at sea?

The tradition of burial at sea in an ancient one, a practice that has been in existence as long as people have gone to sea. The Egyptians sent their dead out to sea, and over the centuries naval ships far from land on fighting missions have often used the world’s oceans as watery cemeteries.

The Vikings are probably the culture we most associate with sea burials. The sea held such importance to the Vikings not only because it was their source of food, but also because oceans were their highways of commerce, bringing all kinds of items to help enrich, shape, and change their lives and cultures. Ships were so strongly associated with the continuance of life that they were the natural choice for the vehicle in which to send off a Viking to his afterlife. The ship symbolized rebirth, a way for the Viking to defeat death and venture onward to whatever lay in the beyond.

To learn more about burials outside of the box, read Exit Strategy by Michelle Cromer.