East Midlands funeral directors help family grow diamond from ashes

A family from Nottinghamshire has requested the services of award-winning East Midlands based funeral directors, A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service, to grow a real-life diamond from their loved one’s cremated remains.

After the passing of her husband, a woman who lives near Bingham, Nottinghamshire and wishes to remain anonymous, wanted to create a lasting reminder that she could treasure forever.

She said: “When you lose your loved one, especially as quickly as I did, you are desperate to keep the connection. It is not just about the memories, you miss the person physically.”

After A.W. Lymn explained the option of turning ashes into a diamond, which she could then put into a ring, she felt it would be perfect.

“I didn’t even know it was possible to keep part of the ashes in the form of a diamond. But it felt right for me as my husband did buy me diamonds and other rings. More importantly, I and his friends often described my husband as a real diamond. The thought of part of him being close to me for as long as I live, and then being able to stay in the family, felt right.”

The family funeral directors work in partnership with Heart in Diamond, which specialises in creating genuine diamonds from carbon extracted from cremated ashes.

On receiving the ring, the woman said: “I am very grateful to Lymns, they arranged everything, and it was all done with the utmost respect, the funeral directors were so supportive all the way.

“The ring arrived the day before Valentines. I broke down in tears, it was part of my husband brought back to me. He is with me all the time.”

Despite having offered the ashes-to-diamonds option for several years, this is the first time the 116-year-old family funeral directors have been asked by a customer to progress with the service.

A.W. Lymn explained how it appears to be growing in popularity, as more people are seeking alternative send-offs and requesting information about unconventional memorial objects and experiences.

Having worked at A.W. Lymn’s funeral home in Bingham for 15 years, Funeral Director Dominic Lister, who arranged the diamond ring, said: “Traditionally ashes used to be scattered at the garden of remembrance at a crematorium, a place where people could go back to. But as time changed, people began taking them away, scattering them somewhere meaningful or even holding onto them and travelling around with them.

“What we are noticing now, is the increasing number of families looking to turn the ashes into something they can keep close to them, such as jewellery, cufflinks, and even put into ink used in tattoos.”

Diamonds are one of the toughest substances in the world, made up of 99.9% carbon which has been arranged into a crystal.

To create a diamond from cremated remains, carbon is extracted from the ashes which is then converted into graphite, allowing it to then grow into a raw diamond.

The process, which can take 70 to 120 days, is carried out in a lab which mimics the natural processes that create diamonds found in the Earth. After the diamond is fully formed, it can be cut into a choice of three different shapes.

When it comes to the cost of the diamond, it all depends on the colour, carat size and cut, with prices starting from £515 and reaching to more than £10k.

With 27 funeral homes across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, A.W. Lymn prides itself on offering a high-quality service at an affordable price to the families it has served since 1907.

Looking to the future of the funeral industry and emerging trends, Matthew Lymn Rose, Managing Director and fifth generation, said: “We are noticing a shift in people’s preferences as they are slowly moving away from the traditional notion of a funeral. While the demand is still strong for this, and we predict will always be a preferred choice for many, we recognise that times are changing and with that comes new and emerging ways to say farewell and memorialise.

“We are constantly looking for ways to expand our services and offer a solution that meets everyone’s individual needs. It’s a point of pride to see how the funeral industry is adapting, and at A.W. Lymn, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this.”