More and more people are deciding to have themselves cremated after death as opposed to a traditional casket burial. Once considered an exotic request, cremation now accounts for over half of all funerals in the US. Cremation has become so ubiquitous that interested parties can get information about cremation services from Baltimore, MD to Las Vegas, NV. What you most likely won’t find, however, are some of the crazy things people make from those remains. Here are two to inspire your posthumous creativity.
A Girl’s Best Friend
It’s often said that diamonds are forever. This isn’t technically true — a diamond will eventually break down into graphite after a couple of billion years — but diamonds do last much longer than the average human life expectancy, quoted at a meager 78.99 years in the US by the United Nations. Cremation diamonds sometimes referred to as memorial diamonds, are one option available to decedents looking to make something of themselves postmortem.
The carbon within the remains is purified by placing them into a crucible and applying roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit of heat for several weeks. This will oxidize all the elements within the remains beside the carbon, and when the process is complete the resultant carbon will be in the form of graphite.
This graphite is then placed in a high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) machine, heated to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and placed under 800,000 psi of pressure for several more weeks until a rough diamond crystal has formed. Once the diamond crystal formation is complete the
crystal is removed and cut with a faceting machine to produce a recognizable diamond. Memorial diamonds are the real deal, too; they are physically and compositionally identical to earth-mined diamonds and are certified to be genuine.
Tree of Life
Modern funerals have a few significant drawbacks. First off, they’re expensive. According to Lincoln Heritage, the average cost for a casket funeral is between $7,000 to $12,000 dollars, while the average cost for a cremation funeral is between $6,000 to $7,000. Neither of these
figures include the costs of cemetery plots, monuments or markers, or other common accouterments.
In addition to exorbitant costs, modern funerals aren’t great for the environment. Embalming fluids include formaldehyde — a carcinogen — which, with the passing of time and breakdown of the body, leeches into the surrounding soil and eventually makes its way into our drinking water. Never fear, environmentally-conscious consumer, there are greener options available to you!
One of these options quickly growing in popularity is often called a “human ashes tree”. For a comparatively small sum, you can purchase a human ashes tree kit which will allow you to combine the decedent’s remains with potting soil and a young tree, commemorating a loved one in a unique way that also contributes back to the environment.
Don’t try this at home, though — cremated human remains are actually toxic to plants if not treated first. To prepare them for planting the remains must be combined with additional agents to lower their pH and dilute the sodium which will provide nutrients for the young tree, all of which is provided for you in the kit.
Cremation is becoming an ever more popular option for people post-mortem, especially within the US. As with any surging trend, it’s important to stay informed. Hopefully, this article helped pique your curiosity with some entertaining facts, but we recommend talking to the experts like those who provide cremation services for more information.
You can learn more about cremation services in Baltimore, MD. Talk to us at Hari P. Close Funeral Service, P.A. to schedule a consultation and learn about cremation services/funeral home services. Visit our office in Baltimore or call our location.
