Algordanza means "remembrance" in Romansh. It is also the name of a company in Chur, Switzerland that is in the business of turning loved ones' cremated ashes into diamonds. Rinaldo Willy, 34, created Algordanza in 2004. The company takes between 800 and 900 requests per year from people in 24 countries around the world. Willy believes his operation provides a valuable way to grieve the loss of someone dear. Each diamond may be considered unique, and is completely portable. Many people choose to create a piece of jewelry from the gem so that they may wear it and keep it close.
Transformation
In the earth, the process for creating a diamond out of carbon may take millions of years. Diamonds have been manufactured for quite some time for use in engineering and in the medical field. Lab-created times cut the manufacturing time from hundreds of millions of years to a matter of weeks. The process begins with 2.5 kilos or so of cremated ash. Conditions to create a diamond include:
A special diamond press
Temperatures in excess of 2,500 F
Applied pressure of 8,000 pounds per square inch
Time, typically 12 weeks to 90 days
At the end of the process, the ashes emerge in the form of a 0.2 gram diamond. Willy says that the color of the finished gem often has a blue tone, a result of boron in the composition. An excess of boron may produce a black diamond. Yellow is fairly typical as well. Much depends on the individual body. False teeth, a titanium hip or residue from chemotherapy may all affect the final result.
Handled With Care
At Algordanza, white gloves are worn around the materials at all times. Willy believes it is a point of honor to never allow the remains of the diamond be touched by him or his staff. During the process, any exposed or "naked" remains are covered up in between stages. Part of the agreement Algordanza makes with its customers is that they will deliver the ashes or pick up the diamond in person. Willy feels that it is essential to make personal contact with his clients, so that they may know the care with which their loved one was handled. Willy may deliver the diamond himself at a private home or other location as well. The finished gem is set inside a polished wooden box. When Willy hand-delivers the diamond, he sets the box on a surface and proceeds to open it up like a flower. When the sides have fallen away, the diamond is revealed.
Cremorials
A diamond made from ashes may be both object and symbol. It may be thought of as a distillation of elemental life, a sign of human connection and affiliation with the earth. It may also provide an object for survivors to touch and to hold, a relic more accessible perhaps than remains stored in an urn. Diamonds are just one of the many ways people may choose to deal with their loved ones' remains.
Another option available may be to incorporate cremation ashes into a work of art. Remains may become part of a sculpture or be specially mixed into paint. Cremation ashes have been made into vinyl albums as well as shot into space. For a truly spectacular send off, one could commission a company that incorporates cremation ashes into the manufacture of fireworks. Ecologically conscientious families may choose to encase the ashes of their loved one in cement to be added to a man-made conservational reef of the Dorset coast in Great Britain. All of these alternative ways of managing what happens to the body after death may point to a shift in public attitudes about funerals and funeral services. Many people today are opting to grieve and honor the dead in unique and personal ways.
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