netscape.com
Chances are when a loved one dies, the last thing you would think to do is turn his or her ashes into jewelry, but that is exactly what LifeGem can do for you. Using super-hot ovens, LifeGem can transform just eight ounces of cremated remains into a blue or yellow diamond. That's right. You can wear your deceased mother on your finger. Would you like a platinum or gold setting with that?
Agence France Presse reports that there is enough carbon in a typical cremated body to make about 20 gems with several pounds of ashes left over to bury, scatter or display on the fireplace mantel. The cost for turning Aunt Mabel into a diamond ring ranges from $2,700 to $20,000. "It's not for everyone," Dean VandenBiesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem admitted to AFP. "We have people that approach us who have just experienced a tragedy and they say I can't wait, I'm so excited about this. In the field of death care, when someone says I'm really excited about this, I think we've achieved what we wanted to do which is change the culture of death."
Blame it on the baby boomers. At least, that's what Mark Musgrove, immediate past president of the National Funeral Directors Association, has done. He blames...er, credits, the boomers with changing the funeral industry. Gone is a somber occasion. In are alternative ways to remember a loved one. While turning Grandma into a diamond may not be all that common (yet), what is common are memorial videos and Web sites devoted to the deceased's many accomplishments.
No comments:
Post a Comment