I recently read in the paper about a company that has begun a unique business: making diamonds out of loved ones. As I understand it, the concept is that carbon is extracted from cremated remains of a pet, family member, or some other biological entity. Then, it is pressurized to form a diamond of a color the customer selects, which can then be kept loose or set in jewelery. There are still enough ashes left over for a traditional urn or any other conventional method of keeping or disposing of the remains.

This is obviously a rather novel idea. I would personally be rather uncomfortable having my pets or family members sitting mounted on a stand or in a necklace, but I could see the appeal. Some would like the way of "constantly being with their loved one." There is also the question of whether the deceased would actually wish to be treated in such a fashion, but I think he or she would be required to give consent before death. (Obviously, this does not apply to pets.)

Another question that is slightly bothersome is the connotation of turning a cherished, living being into an object, quite literally--reducing a person to a charm to be worn on the necklace. Granted, the carbon is just an element; a diamond from a carp should be the same as one from a human because it is merely composed of the body's carbon. Still, the concept warps the philosophy of, "Don't worry about it; it's just a thing." What if one lost this diamond? Even though another could be synthesized, couldn't that be devastating? I could hear it now: "I've lost a piece of my mother forever ..." Because of the deep emotional attachment to the diamond due to its source, the question of materialism becomes a fuzzy one.

I know the idea of forming diamonds from extracted carbon is attractive to some, but I don't think I'd want to participate in this.

Counter"Help! I dropped my dad down the sewer grate!"point