Everyone said she was a gem. Now, just 227g of cremated remains is all it takes to turn your mother into a diamond.
In fact, there's enough carbon in those ashes to make about 20 gems. And there will still be a lot of ashes left over to display on the mantlepiece.
So far, nobody's ordered more than 11
diamonds, said Dean Biesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem, which uses super-hot ovens to transform ashes to graphite and then presses the stone into blue and yellow diamonds that retail for anywhere from US$2,700 to US$20,000.
"It's not for everyone," Biesen admitted, adding that for those who do chose to immortalize their loved ones in jewelry, the experience is extremely positive.
"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,'" he said. "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."
The success of LifeGem is just one example of a radical shift in the funeral industry, said Mark Musgrove, former president of the funeral
directors association.
Americans are moving away from traditional funerals and are seeking instead less somber occasions that reflect the personality of the deceased.
They are also looking for alternative ways to remember their loved ones.
While a decline in religiosity has contributed to the shift, Musgrove said it's mainly a reflection of a cultural phenomenon.
"Back in the 60s the baby boomers were getting married in scuba gear," he said. "They're getting older and they have the same kind of individualism."
A quick stroll through the exhibition hall of the association's annual conference shows just how far the US$11 billion US funeral home industry has moved towards "personalization."
Jeff Barrette is leaning on a maroon motor-cycle, his leather vest and scull and crossbones bandana a striking change from the dark suits of most of his customers.
Displayed in his booth are urns made out of the engine cylinders of Harley Davidsons and mounted on stands with epitaphs like "Rider's Last Rest," which doubles as the company's name.
"You could fit a big guy in there," Barrette told a potential customer, before explaining that the urn's carrying case is specially constructed to fit on the back of a bike in case "you want to take your buddy for a ride."
Demand for the US$1,350 hand-made urns has been slow, Barrette said, but that's to be expected in a niche market.
Memorial videos and Web sites, however, are a bustling business, said Joe Joachim, president of funeralOne, who has signed up 1,500 funeral homes in the past five months.
"Our ultimate goal is creating the ultimate funeral experience," Joachim said. "We want to make this a celebration of life and take it to the next level."
FuneralOne offers software that allows funeral homes to help families create videos, burn them onto DVDs and even make personalized brochures and Web sites. It also offers Web casting services so people who can't make the funeral can watch online.
The two-and-a-half-year-old company has recently partnered with another firm which makes solar-powered video screens that can be mounted on a tombstone and play a five to 10 minute tribute.
RSS