Everyone said she was a gem. Now, just eight ounces 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 several pounds of ashes left over to display on the mantelpiece .
So far, nobody's ordered more than 11 diamonds, said Dean Vanden 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 2,700 to 20,000 dollars.
"It's not for everyone," Vanden 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.
The success of LifeGem is just one example of a radical shift in the funeral industry, said Mark Musgrove, immediate past president of the National 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 60's the baby boomers were getting married in scuba gear," he said. "They're getting older and they have the same individualism."
(Agencies)
大家都說她是一顆鑽石。現在，只要八盎司骨灰就可以把您母親的骨灰打造成一顆鑽石，永遠紀念您的母親。
事實上，骨灰中碳的含量足以打造20顆鑽石。即使這樣，還會剩下幾磅骨灰可以放在壁爐臺上供奉。
「生命珍寶」公司副總經理迪安·范登·比森介紹說，到目前為止，有人最多定製過11顆鑽石。「生命珍寶」公司用超高溫的烤爐將骨灰轉變成石墨，然後再將石墨打造成藍色和黃色的鑽石，這些鑽石的零售價在2,700到20,000美元之間。
「不是每個人都會這樣做，」範登·比森說。他還補充說，對於那些確實想用鑽石來紀念親人的人，這種做法確實很不錯。
「我們曾經碰到過這樣的人，他們剛剛經歷了失去親人的悲痛。他們說『我們等不及了，聽到這樣的消息我們太激動了』。」他說。
美國喪葬經理人協會剛剛退居二線的會長馬克·馬斯格羅夫說：「生命珍寶」公司的成功只是殯葬行業發生的極端變化中的一個事例而已。
現在，越來越多的美國人放棄舉辦傳統的葬禮紀念失去的親人，而開始謀求一些新的、能夠體現死者個性的、相對不是很陰鬱的選擇。
他們也在尋找一些別的方式來紀念死去的親人。
儘管，對宗教的虔誠大不如前是導致這種變化的主要原因，馬斯格羅夫認為這主要體現了一種文化現象。
「那些在60年代嬰兒潮時期出生的人，他們結婚的時候選擇水下婚禮。現在，他們漸漸變老，他們身上表現出同樣的個人主義傾向。」他說。
（中國日報網站薛曉文譯）