Australians grieving the loss of a loved one will now have the opportunity to better honour the deceased's memory by turning their cremation ashes into synthetic diamonds. Thanks to a Swiss company, which turns human ashes into diamonds, bereaved persons can now better honor their loved ones memory by having their ashes converted into beautiful diamonds.

Swiss Company Lonite AG plans to open a branch in Melbourne to introduce cremation or memorial diamonds to the Australian market, allowing people who are grieving access to an unconventional but beautiful process of celebrating their loved ones' lives even after they are gone.

Lonite AG uses advanced technology to produce synthetic diamonds that are similar in appearance to earth mined diamonds. Synthetic, or lab-created diamonds, are produced using man made processes to mimic the carbon structure of natural diamonds. They imitate natural diamond growing conditions to ensure that the end product is as similar to natural diamonds as possible.

There are two processes used in the creation of synthetic diamonds i.e. the High Pressure High Temperature process (HPHT) and the Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process. HPHT is used to produce diamonds for jewellery, while CVD results in high density, super strong varieties that are used for industrial purposes.

Synthetic diamonds are becoming increasingly popular for several reasons: First, they are much cheaper, costing up to 40 percent less than earth mined diamonds. Second, they are 100 percent conflict free, which appeals to people who would not want to purchase "blood" diamonds. Third, they are mirror images of earth-mined diamonds, with the only difference coming from carbon composition and their chemical density.

Synthetic diamonds are used to make jewellery such as rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, cufflinks and many others. They are also used for industrial purposes. The processes used to create synthetic diamonds are also becoming increasingly popular for the creation of diamonds from human ashes, to allow bereaved persons to honour the deceased in a special way.

Turning Ashes into Diamonds

The technology to turn human ashes into diamonds has existed for over a decade, ever since Swiss scientists first experimented with extracting the carbon and nitrogen necessary for diamond creation from cremated ashes. Since then, memorial diamonds have become increasingly popular worldwide, with an increasing number of people choosing to have their loved ones' ashes converted into diamonds that can be set into jewellery like pendants and rings. Instead of having their loved ones ashes stored in an urn hidden away in the crypt of a church or other storage space, they can then have them close to their heart and retain the connection they felt with them when they were alive. This process is extremely popular with millennials and the younger generation who prefer to honour their loved ones by turning their ashes into jewellery as opposed to interning them in a crowded cemetery or storing their remains away in an urn.

The Lonite AG Process

Cremation diamonds take three to nine months to create and use up to 400 grams of ashes. The remaining ashes can then be scattered in the ocean or undergo a tree burial. Once the cremation ashes are sent to Lonite, they go through several processes, including material examination to determine carbon content, planetary nano-crystallisation to remove impurities, heated vacuum purification to remove further impurities, and wet chemical carbon purification to remove heavy metals. After this, the extracted carbon is converted into graphite and placed into the diamond synthesis machine.

Depending on the size and colour ordered, the diamond may take days or months to form. Once the diamond is formed, it is then cut and polished to client specifications and then shipped to the client. Memorial diamonds are priced from $2,600 but the price varies depending on size, shape and cut.

Why Choose Lonite Memorial Diamonds

There are several reasons to consider getting a Lonite memorial diamond. First of all, having a loved one's ashes turned into a diamond that clients can have set into a necklace or ring makes them feel more connected to them. Secondly, Lonite is one of the premier cremation diamond producers in the world, which means that the quality of your diamond will be assured and each diamond can be custom made to fit clients' exact specifications. Finally, the company provides great customer service, labelling all orders to prevent mix-up, providing customers with systems to track their orders and linking them with credible gem institutions to help them verify the authenticity of their diamond.

Cremation diamonds may be a non-traditional way to honour deceased loved ones, but they allow customers the opportunity to keep them close to heart in a beautiful ethereal form that will help them feel connected to them forever.