Sleeping Green & Gold
By Jo Phillips
Cremation Diamonds: Among the 4 Ecological Burial Options for a Greener Afterlife
Finding greener burial alternatives is possible
As technology advances, so too does our understanding of ways in which we are polluting our natural resources. This has caused many people to question whether or not burial is the best final resting place for their loved ones, and if not, is there an ecologically safer alternative to burial?
1. Turning Ashes into Diamonds
A Memorial Diamond into a Ring
One of the most innovative ways of memorialising your loved one is to turn ashes or hair into diamonds. LONITÉ has developed and perfected the technology in their state-of-the-art Swiss laboratory to accomplish this and, unlike other processes, the end result is a real diamond formed around a microscopic seed diamond to which carbon crystals adhere. In other words, LONITÉ makes it possible to produce a real, high-quality diamond in months rather than millennia, and all from the cremated remains or the hair of your beloved who has passed on.
On a molecular level, the human body is comprised of roughly 18 percent carbon. As we know, diamonds are formed when the carbon decomposing organic matter is subjected to a great deal of pressure over a very long period of time. The process closely replicates nature, but the resulting diamond is ‘born’ within a matter of a few months.
Memorial diamonds will naturally come in a shade of amber because that is the shade achieved under natural conditions, largely due to the decomposition of carbon. However, LONITÉ has perfected the process and is able to offer five realistically beautiful shades such as:
- Naturally Amber
- Greenish Yellow
- Red
- Blue
- Colourless
Each diamond is created under strict laboratory conditions in which colour variations are due to a purification process.
Due to the amount of time and labour, nothing smaller than a 0.25 carat ashes to diamond can be created and the prices of these remarkably realistic diamonds reflect both the time and labour involved in their creation. For example, a 0.25 carat Naturally Amber diamond typically costs £1,400.00 while an equal size and weight in Purely Colourless start at £2,200.00 and can go up to £15,000.00.
The quality of these cremation diamonds compares to natural diamonds, but for all intents and purposes, they really are natural diamonds with the only difference being where they were formed. Also, there is no danger to the environment due to excavation because they are created in a strictly controlled certified eco-friendly laboratory.
2. Eternal Reef
Eternal Reef to support the marine life
Another option when looking for an eco-friendly way to memorialise your loved one is through a process called an Eternal Reef. Not only is memorialising your beloved safe for the environment but an Eternal Reef is actually even good for it. In this type of memorial, ashes are mixed with cement and then deposited in coral reefs lying offshore, through a ceremony modelled after a military funeral.
This type of memorial helps to support marine life for as many as half a millennium, and that is a very long time for your beloved to be remembered down through the generations.
3. Memorial Tree
Plant a Memorial Tree with your Loved One Ashes
Some families have a tradition of planting trees in memory of their loved ones who have passed on to another realm. However, Memorial Trees have taken on new meaning because they are started in an urn created with the cremated ashes of your loved one.
These urns are environmentally safe and will naturally decompose over time as the roots grow and expand through the biodegradable urn. A Memorial Tree is a beautiful way of planting trees in memoriam to your beloved who has passed on.
4. Alkaline Hydrolysis
Alkaline Hydrolysis Machine
Although the ashes from the alkaline hydrolysis method are derived in a totally different manner, the end result is similar to that of cremation. It is a way of reducing a body to ashes without the use of high-temperature flames. Rather, a chemical process using water and a potassium hydroxide alkali solution chemically heats the remains and what is left is fragments of bones. When purified and dried, these tiny particles are the same as traditionally cremated ashes.
Each of the above processes are safe for the environment and why so many families opt for this type of burial or memorial. With growing concern over toxins entering our groundwater from burial grounds, ecological ‘burials’ are by far safer on the environment, while also providing a lasting way to memorialise a loved one who has passed beyond our realm.
Whether you wear an exquisite memorial diamond from 0.25 to 1 carat or choose a Memorial Tree or an Eternal Reef burial, you will have a way to keep your loved one with you for all time while doing literally no measurable damage to the environment. That’s why a growing number of families are choosing ecological burial options. What a remarkable way to remember loved ones.
