Study: Memorial Diamonds Can Help Grief Process

by Rebecca Roberts Galloway | Sep 8, 2020

There are many ways to remember a loved one. Some people keep cremated remains in an urn or scatter them someplace meaningful. A relatively new concept is to turn a portion of cremated remains into a diamond or other jewelry.

As our friends Eterneva explain, the death industry hasn’t seen innovation in 100 years and some people don’t feel the two standard choices — a burial plot or an urn — fit them or their loved one. So having new options, like a memorial diamond, is appealing for many.

To make a lab-grown diamond, the company uses hair or ashes and purifies them into pure carbon. The process of growing a diamond takes about 7 to 11 months and costs about $2,999. The journey is roughly six steps and starts with about a half cup of cremated “ashes” (a normal cremation produces about seven to 10 cups, enough for four or five diamonds) and then the diamond is grown, cut, colored and certified before what Eterneva calls its “homecoming.”

A study commissioned by Eterneva recently published by Baylor University concluded having a memorial “anchor” item like a cremation diamond can help with grief.

The researcher, Dr. Candi Cann, Ph.D., found three ways that the grieving process was aided by such an item: mobility, giving the loved one’s agency in the present (not only the past) and helping those who are grieving re-focus on their loved one, not just their death.

Dr. Cann explained, “There is concrete reason to believe that anchor items provide a place for the bereaved to direct the complex emotions associated with grief, while also creating a positive association with their life and a physical reminder that those we lose are not lost.”

Solace wants our families to know about the many options for memorializing their loved ones. To learn more, visit the Eterneva FAQ.