This is one for the "God help us" file

Liudmilla · Post by **Liudmilla** » Thu 2 September 2004 5:16 pm

St
Paul Pioneer Press

September 2, 2004

Diamond girl

Nancy Wodziak, of Columbia Heights, Minn., has become the first Minnesotan to own a "created diamond," a genuine yellow diamond made from her late husband's remains. After her husband died in November, Wodziak decided to use some of his ashes to create a keepsake ring. The 0.59-carat diamond, which arrived last week, cost $2,500. "It's very nice," Wodziak said. "And it's actually part of him." LifeGem in Elk Grove Village, Ill., says on its Web site that its diamonds are "created from the carbon of your loved one" in a process employing intense pressure and temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees. "About 80 percent are made from human remains, and 20 percent from pets, both dogs and cats," said company official Dean VandenBiesen.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint

:ohvey:

George · Post by **George** » Thu 2 September 2004 5:53 pm

That is just sick.

Justin2 · Post by **Justin2** » Thu 2 September 2004 11:44 pm

I suppose it doesn't fall into the same category as making jewelry out of your deceased loved ones, but I plan to ask my Grandparents at some point if I may keep their cremains and inter them on my property once I buy a house back home (they're heterodox, so cremation is not an issue for them, and no, they don't have any plans to convert any time soon). I don't think it has religious significance, but it has ancestral significance to me. Any thoughts on this?