SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

January 27, 2020

CREMATION DIAMONDS SCAMS

Creating a memorial diamond from the cremated ashes of a loved one sounds like a brilliant idea for a meaningful tribute to their lives. But you need to exercise caution if this idea has appeal to you.

Questionable Creation Methods.

Real diamonds are made of carbon. So are manufactured versions. Technically, the process involves super-heating a small amount of the ashes, in an open heat-resistant container, to more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, until carbon in the ashes transforms to graphite.

This is added to other chemicals and a tiny piece of real diamond known as a seed. They’re all heated again and put under extreme pressure to create the final crystal, which can then be cut and polished.

Diamond expert Grant Mobley is quoted as saying these services “are nothing more than a scam.” Further, “While these companies may be manufacturing synthetic diamonds that look like natural diamonds, they are not always using ashes from your loved ones to do so. In fact, the carbon that is left over from cremation is not nearly enough to produce a synthetic diamond and is not in the correct form.”

It is a Disputed view.

Manufacturers claim they get more than enough carbon from cremated ashes to grow the gems. But the naysayers argue that the temperature of normal cremation furnaces is higher than that required to destroy the carbon-bearing substances. The makers claim the opposite — that furnace temperatures are lower than those that destroy carbon.

More Research Needed.

Clearly, there needs to be further research before the issue is finally settled. In the meantime, if a memorial diamond is something you might consider after losing a loved one, weigh the arguments before making your decision. For more information visit the website http://www.CremationDiamondReport.com.

Before you spend money with any ‘memorial’ diamond company, the http://www.JewelryAdjuster.com site. It advises, “we ask that you review all available information to make an informed and well thought out decision.”

You might also check out a report from the cremation industry’s trade organization: http://www.TurningAshestoDiamonds.com – How Much Should You Pay?

Finally, as You Intended.

You can treat the memorial diamond as what it is — a product you have made to remember them, just like a tombstone or other memorial. However, it would be rather expensive — several times the price of a same-size real diamond.

Attribution: http://www.scambusters.org