香消玉不殒 至爱化钻石

Everyone said she was a gem(1). Now, just eight ounces of cremated(2) remains is all it takes to turn your mother into a diamond.

In fact, there's enough carbon(3) in those ashes to make about 20 gems. And there will still be several pounds of ashes left over to display(4) on the mantelpiece(5).

So far, nobody's ordered more than 11 diamonds, said Dean VandenBiesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem, which uses super-hot ovens to transform ashes to graphite(6) and then presses the stone into blue and yellow diamonds that retail(7) for anywhere from 2,700 to 20,000 dollars.

"It's not for everyone," Vanden Biesen admitted, adding that for those who do chose to immortalize(8) their loved ones in jewelry, the experience is extremely positive.

"We have people that approach us who have just experienced a tragedy and they say I can't wait, I'm so excited about this," he said. "In the field of death care, when someone says I'm really excited about this, I think we've achieved what we wanted to do which is change the culture of death."

The success of LifeGem is just one example of a radical(9) shift in the funeral industry, said Mark Musgrove, immediate past president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

Americans are moving away from traditional funerals and are seeking instead less somber(10) occasions that reflect the personality of the deceased(11).

They are also looking for alternative ways to remember their loved ones.

While a decline in religiosity has contributed to the shift, Musgrove said it's mainly a reflection of a cultural phenomenon.

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