Beyond Death: When Ashes Become a Memorial Diamond - Ashes to Diamonds: New Service Transforms Loved Ones' Remains in Germany
A new service in Saxony-Anhalt allows families to transform a small portion of their loved ones' ashes into lab-grown diamonds. The process, now legal in Germany, is gaining popularity due to its affordability and accessibility. The process begins with extracting carbon from ashes, which is then converted into graphite. This is combined with a seed crystal and subjected to extreme heat and pressure to create a lab-grown diamond. The demand for these diamonds is high, with a wholesale price of around €120 for a one-carat stone. Before this legal change, families had to send urns to Switzerland for the process. Now, a small portion of ashes can be sent to providers in Germany. Additionally, under the new burial law in Rhineland-Palatinate, ashes may now also be scattered in private gardens. While creating diamonds from ashes is a unique and sentimental option, engraving jewelry with the deceased's fingerprint is a more common and affordable alternative. The transformation of cremated ashes into diamonds for memorial jewelry is now legal in Saxony-Anhalt and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Companies like Algordanza and Heart In Diamond in Switzerland and Austria specialize in this process. The cost typically starts at around €4,000, depending on the desired size of the diamond.
