Memorial diamonds, a new concept in weddings and rings: using the ashes of a loved one to create the perfect diamond. While some may find it morbid, others consider it a heartfelt way to remember and honor a loved one who has passed.

The latest example of this practice comes to us from Lancashire, England with newlyweds Celeste Egan and Adam Brooks. As any other woman who has dreamt of her wedding since childhood, she planned on having her father walk her down the aisle. Tragically, Mick Egan passed away eight months prior to his daughter’s wedding day.

In the midst of the family’s mourning, Celeste heard on the television of the concept of using her father’s ashes to create a diamond. Sounding like a perfect way to keep her father by her side during her wedding, Celeste found and contacted the company LifeGem, based in Illinois, USA. Of the options, she and her family chose to have some of Mick’s ashes transformed into a blue diamond, to match Mick’s eye color and to be that “something blue” for her to wear.

Now, how, you may be wondering, is this process done? Well, just like the natural process of diamond-making, the carbon from the ashes is extracted and heated at very high temperatures to purify it. Heated again, the carbon is then placed under very high pressure in a diamond press to create a diamond crystal. Essentially, it’s done the same way natural diamonds are made but the process is just fast-forwarded a few million years into about 6 months or so.

Just like a natural diamond, these memorial diamonds are polished and cut into whatever shape and carat size the client would like. There are also various colors to choose from including a color-less diamond. Keep in mind, these are all synthetic diamonds because they are technically man-made. According to LifeGem’s website, the process can cost anywhere from $3,000 - $20,000 USD.

Here is some of what Celeste and her mother Susan had to say about the blue 0.32 carat princess cut memorial diamond:

• “It made my day complete having the diamond there because Dad could accompany me down the aisle, although in a different way.”
• “It seemed like the right thing to do for us as a family and for my dad. We think he’d have loved the idea.”
• “Celeste carried her father in her right hand and I held onto her left. It was the closest thing to Mick doing it.”
• “He loved being the centre of attention….He could light up a room when he walked in it….In some respects a diamond lights up a room, too, so it is a perfect memory of how he was.”

What are your thoughts on this idea? BrideFu invites its readers to give their two cents on this concept. So please feel free to comment on our article.

Credits: Daily Mail

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