A lock of Michael Jackson’s hair owned by known Hollywood hair collector, John Reznikoff, is now going to be used to create a unique diamond by a company named LifeGem. Reznikoff, who secured a lock of Jackson’s hair that had caught fire in a freak accident during the filming of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, reportedly sold a lock to LifeGem for a five figure sum!
Now the company who patented a process for converting the carbon in cremains into a certified, high-quality diamond as a memorial, are about to produce a diamond from the carbon traces of Michael in his hair!
The process of creating a Life Gem diamond takes around six to nine months and involves a variety of complex machines. Approximately 250 to 400 grams of cremated remains are used. These ashes are sealed in a container and put into a vacuum induction furnace, which is an oxygen-less oven, the furnace reaches temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the cremains to pure crystallized carbon, called graphite. The 2 grams of graphite is sifted to get a uniform particle size then placed into a ceramic cube with precision components. The cube is put into a diamond press, which also uses tremendous heat and pressure and this transforms the graphite into a rough diamond. The piece is then cut, polished, laser engraved with a tiny identification tag and set into a ring, pendent or however the customer wishes to set it.
The brothers who own LifeGem, Dean and Rusty VanderBiesen and Greg and Mike Herro, had a vision about creating an “everlasting connection” to the one you have lost. LifeGem’s diamond tributes are a memorial that you can keep with you at all times, and a unique and priceless way to keep the memory of a loved one as a family heirloom that will last through generations! Rusty researched chemistry, and Dean obtained a degree in geology and when the brothers teamed up with an entrepreneurial friend named Greg Herro, the inception for LifeGem was born. The LifeGem process was patented and in 2002 LifeGem was formed. The company trades internationally offering people around the world the opportunity to memorialize their loved ones with prices starting at $3,495. It most certainly is not your ordinary memorial tribute, but a Life Gem is certainly a unique way to immortalize and cherish the essence of your loved one!
Diamonds are Forever: How Your Loved Ones’ can be Immortalized like Michael Jackson!
