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I know it sounds weird, but there is a lot of marketing that can be done to people concerned about greenhouse gases.

There is also a prior interest, as we can already turn a departed loved one's remains into a diamond. http://lifegem.com/

Well, you can have your cremated remains turned into a diamond at least. Does that count?

http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/LifeGemFAQ2006.aspx

- Toast

Geek or no. She wants a goddamn diamond!

And if you are realy geeky then make the diamond from yourself.

Well if you don't want to donate your body to medical science...

The Japanese have come up with some ideas:
http://www.pri.org/world/asia/japan-high-tech-graveyard-in-sky1680.html

Others are taking the family heirloom idea to another level:
http://www.lifegem.com/

Many others prefer sea burials:
http://www.suite101.com/content/burial-at-sea---funeral-choices-for-an-ocean-grave-a305707

Others are taking a sea burial more literally and discovering a way to preserve full body burial without using up more land:
http://www.nmreef.com/memorial+reef.18.lasso

And still others are making records out of corpses:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-08/27/and-vinyly

And the point of burying a body is based on religion, culture and tradition. There are countless points and reasons for burying a body, some we would consider good reasons, others we would consider superstition and/or ridiculous. You obviously lump most of funeral tradition in this second catagory. Personally, I don't have many memories of my grandfather, but I still go to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to visit him. I like the solitude and cold contemplative beauty of cemeteries, I also like reading gravestones and imagining the lives behind those names and quotes.

But just because I like them, doesn't mean that I believe cemeteries are a sustainable method of burial or corpse disposal. But as my links point out, this is being addressed in many, many different ways. Cremation is becoming more popular, but something about creating a product out of my body after I die appeals to me. Personally I want to use my ashes in making whiskey for all my friends and relatives.

What about you?

I'm not an expert in chemistry (I'm an electrical engineer by trade), but I would think that if the carbon was formed into a real diamond, it wouldn't break apart easily. Each carbon atom in a diamond is linked to four others nearby in a tetrahedral shape. This makes for a very strong bond. Graphite, by contrast, consists of carbon atoms linked to only three neighboring atoms in a sort of hexagon-tile sheet. This makes it pretty easy for them to break apart.

Here's more on synthetic diamonds and here's the website of a company that makes them.

Why make something that is only going to fade with time until it itself dies again.

I'd rather have my remains made into a Diamond

I would never suggest buying a mined diamond but this idea I thought was amazingly cool. Make a diamond out of your wifes remains: http://www.lifegem.com/

It might sound creepy, but I think it's one of the most beautiful things you could do to someones shell.

Yeah. It really is an interesting idea....

LifeGems

The article lists several great alternatives to the traditional burial, but let us not forget LifeGem

That's how I want to be disposed of.

My problem with the whole turning people into salt thing is not the "impossibility" of it. I mean, I could posit a science fiction story in which so alien scientist created a matter transmutation phase to turn people to salt.

I mean, when the story was created, turning human remains into diamonds would seem just as fanciful. Now it's routine enough to make a living out of it.

The problem is God's motivation. Why let them run away, and then turn them into salt for looking back? I mean, He's acting like Bluebeard in this story.

Ok, it isn't entirely out of character for Him, but then thousands of years later He gets this semi-platonic ideal of the perfect ultimately good being grafted onto Him, which doesn't really fit with the homicidal maniac we've seen up until then. It's like killing a bunch of kids with she bears for making fun of one of His prophet's bald head.

Fine for the old God, the one who said He needed one of His prophets to sacrifice His kid, and then said, "Just kidding, but I'll have that ram stuck in the thicket, thanks." It doesn't really fit in with the beatific vision version, though, does it.

Yes, I know sacred mysteries and all that, but it always makes me think that the main reason the monks didn't want the Bible translated into the vernacular is because they all realized how poorly written it was...

Also, instead of buying any existing diamonds, have an unneeded part of your body cremated. Take the ashes and have the carbon extracted. After you have the pure carbon, use it to create a diamond from your own flesh. I'm kidding obviously, but LifeGem seriously offers this service, although they typically deal with whole bodies.

...it's pretty obvious. Leaking fluids, pooling blood (i.e. bruising along all of the lowest parts of the body), rigger-mortise (for a while), lack of pulse, no breathing, &c. At that point, what's to debate? Of course, we still tend to wait a couple of days before we put the body in the ground (or burn it, or dispose of it in some other way), just to be sure.

http://www.lifegem.com/

Turn yourself into a diamond. Seems rather trendy.

If you ever get a chance (/. "girlfriend" jokes aside), buy the lab diamonds, or buy your to-be a genuinely rare gem such as a Ruby (diamonds are not rare).

About a year ago or so an article came up somewhere about LifeGem, one of the companies in the "cultured diamond" business. (Yes, "cultured" is just a dumb marketing term; not the point, here.) For those who haven't heard of them before, LifeGem's twist is they make diamonds as a memorial to "the dear departed", using carbon harvested before cremation. (Insert old "that's not grandma's ring, that is grandma on the ring" jokes here.)

Since I regularly donate blood, I wondered if one's own donated blood could be used as a suitible carbon source, thus allowing for an engagement ring that truly comes "from the heart". While it would tend to be pricier than a boring white stone, they usually make very nice colored stones, and the only human exploited would be the willing donor. After looking at their website to see how much carbon was required, and making some rough calculations, it looked possible, although IIR about three pints would be needed (and thus, a minimum of 16 weeks prep time) for a ring-worthy gem. So, being curious, I called Lifegem and asked about the idea.

Since it's a small company, I talked with one of the founders. He seemed to think I was a weirdo (true), and that it wasn't their usual fare, but said that "if you supply the carbon, we can make the diamond". He also said that he wasn't sure what the (hypothetical) girl would think of the idea of a "cultured" stone. He said he has access to some of the largest and finest synthetics ever made, but when proposal time came, his financee would settle for nothing but a "real" rock.

Still, not all women are that way. My sister (a mechanical engineer) got a little tipsy at the family reunion this summer, and admitted that the huge 2.5 carat rock on her finger for the last decade is actually a cubic zirconia. The pricetag for the real ring was put as a downpayment for a house; the wedding reception was held in the huge backyard. Mom still doesn't know. =)

Well, damn you!

There I had planned on capturing my soul in a lifegem and watching the heat death of the universe.

Now you tell me that's not an option. Guess I'd better make other plans to live forever.

Then what she really wants is a ring with a LifeGem-brand diamond on it. They're not only made by humans, they're made from humans!

Last year, when my father past away, I have been thinking about what to do with myself when I pass on. My father and mother have a plot in a mausoleum. Burying my remains seems to be a little boring, so I thought about cremation. But I do not want to have my dust stuck in an urn for all eternity. I am an atheist agnostic, so I do not have any predetermined requirements for my remains.

I spend some time thinking about doing something special with my ashes if I chose cremation. A lot of people seem to like their ashes spread in ocean or in the sky. I thought about my ashes going to space, like Scotty's, but it may not be an option for a chump like me. Unless there is a service that performs this or I get connections, my family won't be able to do this practically.

I went to the Internet to find alternatives. I found a couple that were interesting and practical. The one that seemed most attractive was creating diamonds from human ashes. I am not kidding. There are many companies, like LifeGem and Memory Jewels, that do this. I could not believe it myself. What else could be the best way for my wife and children to remember me by? I will have lasting sentimental value. Plus, loking at the price lists from Memory Jewels, it's much cheaper than buying a $3000 casket. I am seriously considering it, too.

And because we are mostly carbon, we can do cool stuff like this with our loved ones after they have passed on.

Then I saw this post and thought it was related but bizarre to refer to them as Last Year's Gadgets. Frightening.

But, seriously, old cables/components.. hasn't this been done to death already? :)

How very yesterday.

Theres always Lifegem

"I don't think man made diamonds are ever going to eclipse natural ones for jewelry" - I will have to disagree with you there.

I know there will always be a niche market (read people with more sense than money) who will always want naturally grown diamonds, however I think most folks will actually not care. Most (uneducated) diamond buyers simply look for 3 things beauty, cost , and carat (wow factor). This is the only reason stores such as Zales can stay in business. They sell the worst diamonds around (I-2's for their regular merchandise - usually up to $1500 and SI-2's for their "Zales Diamond", note that most reputable jewlers won't touch I-2 diamonds). The reason Zales (and other maul stores) sell so much merchandise is first location and 2nd the design, pricing and wow factor (1 carart ring for how much?!).

Now back to synthetic diamonds, eventually most folks will realize that choosing a natural diamond over a synthetic just "'cause it has to be naturally grown" is like choosing furniture built of trees that were grown naturally in a forrest vs using trees that were planted and grown on a farm. There both real trees (plus you'll get less defects in your furniture with the farm grown trees).

Now there's already a lot of companies out there growing diamonds. Check out:

Gemesis in Florida
Apollo Diamond (which uses Carbon Vapor Deposition)
Life Gem- turn the ashes of a deceased loved one into a diamond
There was also an interesting article about it on Wired a ways back: The New Diamond Age

And lastly the one "book" that taught me everything I could have ever wanted to know about the diamond business: The Diamond Invention Very interesting read.

Intersting note, after all the research and shopping (and shopping and more shopping) that I did when I was looking for an engagement ring (including researching Synthetic Diamonds) I decided on having a ring custom made by a local jeweler using moissanites instead of diamonds. Ended being a very beautiful and unique ring of a much higher quality than a mass produced setting and with quite a bit of geek factor to it as well. So I think folks will be accepting of synthetic diamonds once production ramps up to the demand (right now Gemesis is growing as fast as it can).

lifegem is a company (no affiliation with me btw) that will create a diamond from the ashes of deceased relatives. personally i think its a pretty cool way to go. of course if humans are still on this rock millions of years from now it could be a nasty form of pollution.

Make a tv out of Grandpa

Here's there website

From the site:

What is a LifeGem?

A LifeGem is a certified, high quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique and wonderful life.

The LifeGem provides a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day. The LifeGem is the most unique and timeless memorial available for creating a testimony to their unique life.

We hope and believe that your LifeGem memorial will offer comfort and support when and where you need it, and provide a lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does. Forever.

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And now you can.

By the way, the largest diamond they offer is 1 Carat, which is 0.2 grams. Which could easily be fired into space.

Honestly, I think it would be really neat to have a "life diamond".

If so, check out LifeGem as a source for your diamond. No, it's not necessarily cheap, but it makes the subject more pertinent to this site.

If successful, perhaps one day you could give your love a diamond engagement CPU instead of a ring!

A tidbit -- note I wrote "stupid hateful stereotypes" not just stereotypes. Reliance on stereotypes tends to reflect a dense, plodding intellect. Throw in the hateful and it's not about humor any more, it's about aggression and fear. I have to shake my head at people who complain all the good victims are getting protected by political correctness. You can still make the jokes, they're just not funny any more.

Chris Rock does an amazing job of walking the line between tasteless and very funny, entertaining both audiences black and white. He commented he spinds his jokes differently with black audiences, and can leave out a lot of set-up. Clever guy.

Oh yeah -- the ABM thing already is a boondoogle. Just not a well-funded one. Imagine the laughs we'll have when a missile just sails right through it and takes out San Francisco. Although it won't be a missile, it'll bea Ryder truck. (Why SF? Because I live on the East Coast and am tired of us getting all the fun.)

Re the diamond -- buy the stupid ring, but consider another stone. Donate the price difference to deflect suggestions you're just cheap. Share some lit on the blood diamonds and she may not want one. My wife and I might sell the diamond she has some day, hopefully before DeBeers loses its grip and price plummet. At the moment the damage is done, and no one even understands our concerns (if we'd say we just want our money back, they'd be OK with it; if we then donated it to, say, African health care, then we'd be sanctimonious).

PS: Even gem-grade natural diamonds are not that valuable and would cost far less without DeBeers' market control. The reason they fear manmade diamonds is that they can't stockpile and monopolize them; so they come up with the fluorescence test as appearance no longer identifies "fakes." Did you see you can get your dear departed relatives or pets memorialized as a diamond? Imagine the romantic possibilities while avoiding developing world political unpleasantries. Lots of folks want to give her grandmother's engagement ring; you can give her grandmother.