Frequently Asked Questions About Ashes to Diamonds

Yes – the ALGORDANZA memorial diamond has the same physical and optical properties as a natural diamond. In our production site in Switzerland we recreate the natural formation conditions so that your individual ALGORDANZA cremation diamond can grow.

We believe that losing a beloved animal companion can be just as heartbreaking as losing a family member. Therefore we have partnered with Semper Fides who are animal lovers like us, but have more experience with the loss of a precious pet.

Algordanza and Semper Fides understand the difference in size of pets compared to humans and therefore having different amounts of ashes or hair available which could affect diamond growth.

Algordanza is happy to take your inquiries about having pet cremation diamonds made, we will connect you with our friends at Semper Fides.

Our service starts at $3,699 CAD for a 0.3ct medium sized diamond. The price is determined by the carbon source, selected size and cut of your chosen cremation diamond.

If you do not desire an inhumation the entire ash volume would be leaved in the production process until the entire cremation ash is completely transformed. Otherwise, we send back the remaining ashes to the funeral home in order to entomb them at the native place or we scatter the remains in our forest cemetery in Switzerland or picked-up individually in Domat/Ems.

During the cremation process of the corpse and coffin, the carbon goes through a metamorphosis. E.g. the German law stipulates a minimum temperature of 650 °C in the main combustion chamber in which the coffin is located. In the following downstream chamber, the significantly raised temperature of >850 °C prevents the emission of harmful gaseous emissions. During cremation, a large part of the carbon escapes as gaseous carbon dioxide. The proportion by weight of the carbon remaining in the main combustion chamber is generally between 0.5% and 2.5% of the dry cremation ash. This can be demonstrated technologically by appropriately equipped laboratories. The carbon is isolated from the ash by a wet-chemical process or pyrolysis and serves as the basis for the later diamond synthesis.

Due to technical and legal reasons, a cremation always takes place in a coffin. Therefore, the cremation ashes will contain minor components of the coffin, clothing, as well as potential implants. It is technically impossible to separate and divide this cremation ashes and the carbon also. As a result, the diamond lattice of the memorial diamond can contain some carbon atoms from the coffin or the clothing.

The synthesis takes about 4-8 months beginning from the date of reception of the carbon source and the receipt of the payment. Nevertheless, the synthesis of a diamond is a highly complex process. In some cases, it can take more time. We assure you that quality and precision are our first priority.

The coloration depends on the element boron within the diamond. The more boron that is bound to the carbon grid the more intense is the blue coloration. We do not influence the coloring of the diamond. The unique blueish coloration emphasizes the uniqueness of your personal Memorial Diamond. In case of low boron density, the diamond will be light blue or clear. The environment we use for the diamond growth prevents the incorporation of nitrogen atoms of the atmosphere into the diamond crystal lattice, which would result in a yellowish color of the memorial diamond.

The ages of the cremation ashes or hair is not relevant, rather the amount of carbon within, which does not diminish over time, ALGORDANZA has grown diamonds from ashes that are decades old.