Johannesburg - Diamonds - and death - are forever. And if you’ve got the money, like one local woman who forked out $10 000 (R106 000) to have the remains of her beloved pug turned into a 0.6 carat blue diamond, you can immortalise your companion for eternity.
South African families, devastated by the loss of an adored pet, are increasingly turning to companies like Envirocin, a pet crematorium and memorial park, to enquire about transforming their loved one’s remains into a diamond ring as a “lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does”.
The company, in Kya Sands, sends the ashes of pets - and even human remains - to Chicago where LifeGem, whose tagline is “ashes to diamond”, takes a minimum of six months to create a diamond ring, molecularly identical to natural diamonds, out of them.
The carbon from the cremated remains - or a lock of hair for those choosing burials - is converted to graphite during a purification process, subjected to high pressure and temperatures of between 1 600°C and 2 000°C.
The graphite is placed into a diamond press that mimics the high force needed to create the gems naturally.
Globally, 5 000 people have turned their pets and human companions into diamond rings, according to LifeGem. But for many South Africans, it’s too expensive. It costs $2 699 (R27 000) to turn remains into a 0.2 carat yellow gem and up to $24 999 for a 1.50 carat green one.
“On the human side, we’re finding people in SA who are building it into their wills to say they want their own cremated remains turned into a LifeGem and want to pay for the cost of the manufacture from their insurance payout,” explains Dean Webb, a founder of Envirocin.
“But, potentially, an heir would say it’s not in their interest to turn the deceased into a diamond and want the cash rather…
“I think the trend of pet cremation has always been big for pet lovers,” Webb adds. “A lot of families request LifeGem for their pets, there are a lot of enquiries, but there are not many takers, because it is expensive. People here opt for something more affordable.
“It’s totally bizarre but when you speak to people, they are, like, ‘Ja, flip, I don’t know what to do with my ashes or those of my pet or loved one.’
“People move cities and countries and don’t want to leave their loved ones behind in the garden and the diamonds are easy to travel with.
“I think if it was not as expensive, a lot more people would do it because it’s a memorial jewel after death.”
Saturday Star