Diamonds are made from the ashes of dead people - this is how it is done

According to the North American Cremation Association,Burning in 2020 will become a more preferable way of parting with departed people than the established funeral process for centuries. Instead of storing ashes of a person in an urn, some people choose a more beautiful way to preserve the memory of a person — making diamonds from the remaining ash. The leader in the manufacture of precious stones from the dust is the Swiss firm Algordanza, whose representatives recently revealed details about the process of making memorable jewels.

From the ashes of dead people you can reallyto make diamonds. The fact is that they are polished diamonds, which are made of crystallized carbon - the second most common atomic element in the human body. To get the gem, the company uses a special technology, which involves an extremely high temperature and strong pressure.

The process begins with the cremation of a person - asAs a rule, after burning it remains from 2.2 to 4.5 kilograms of ash. For the manufacture of a diamond, Algordanza asks for a minimum of 500 grams of dust - the amount of carbon needed is calculated in a special furnace. Using chemicals, the company's employees clean the dust from impurities, to end up with a mass of 99% carbon.

The only element that is impossiblerid is a boron that is found in the human body and is involved in wound healing. This is due to the fact that boron and carbon have the same weight and properties, and it is extremely difficult to separate them from each other. Fortunately, this is not required - boron colors the diamond blue, and the more of it, the richer the hue becomes.

To achieve 99.9% purity of the resulting mass,Researchers add it to a vessel with iron and cobalt, which help to remove excess residues. Diamond is also added to the vessel - carbon crystallizes better when it comes into contact with a real gem.

Real diamonds are formed in the depths of the earth, withhigh temperature and high pressure. To simulate these conditions, the mass is added to a chamber with a temperature of 1370 degrees Celsius and is subjected to a pressure of 394,625 kg per square inch. To understand the power of this process, it is enough to imagine that the International Space Station, with its entire mass, puts pressure on a wristwatch with heat exceeding the temperature of the lava.

The manufacturing process takes from six to eightweeks - the larger the diamond, the longer it takes. The result is a coarse material that requires grinding. Many people pick up a raw stone, but some ask jewelers to turn it into a beautiful jewel. A diamond weighing 0.3 carats costs customers $ 3,000.

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