Remembering Our Loved Ones Through Memorial Diamonds
REMEMBERING OUR LOVED ONES THROUGH MEMORIAL DIAMONDS
There are a number of ways to remember the lives of our loved ones, and one of these ways is making memorial diamonds out of their ashes. As modern as it may sound, this practice has been influenced by certain traditions done in the past. The British culture is filled with various beliefs and customs (most of which came from the Victorian era) that have shaped the things we are currently doing.
Some of these beliefs may seem bizarre or outdated to most people now, but what matters most is the idea of memorializing a departed loved one.
MEMORIAL TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
There are certain traditions and other practices followed around the world on memorializing deceased individuals or particular chapters in history. This is most notable with the Culture of Remembrance which originated in Germany. This event was a means for the Germans to remember the atrocities committed during the Second World War. This kind of memorial does not only serve to grieve over the victims of war, but also to educate the future generations on history.
However, simpler memorial events are more prevalent when remembering the lives of people not as prominent individuals in society, but as family members or friends who were a big part of our lives. During death anniversaries or All Saint’s Day, people often place flowers and light candles to honor them.
BRITISH BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS ON DEATH
There are many British beliefs and customs on death that may intrigue or shock people from other cultures. Some of these are practiced up the present, while other beliefs are simply considered stories and not done anymore. Here are certain British beliefs and superstitions:
The British used to stop the clocks and draw the curtains in the room where the person has died to avoid bad luck.
Mirrors are also covered so the soul of the deceased would not be trapped in the glass.
Other people turn the family photographs face down so that the people in the pictures will not be inhabited by the deceased’s soul.
To inform people that a death has occurred, a wreath of boxwood, laurel, or yew will be hung outside the door of the deceased’s home.
Cleaning the body was believed to be done not only for hygienic reasons, but also as a symbol for the washing away of sins committed by the deceased.
When carrying the corpse away from home, they make sure that the feet will be first led out of the house. This is to prevent the dead from looking back and bringing a relative with him/her to the grave.
When yawning, the mouth should always be covered so that your spirit will not leave your body and for the devil to be unable to enter it.
Seeing an owl in daytime will bring death.
When someone in the house is sick and a dog howls at night, it is a bad omen, and may mean the death of the sick person. This can be reversed by reaching under the bed and turning over a shoe.
FUNERAL AND MEMORIAL CULTURE IN THE UK
Funerals are an important part of culture. The word was derived from the French funerailles, which came from the Latin word fūnerālia. It means “funeral rites”, and was also linked to the words “death” and “corpse”.
Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Father of English Literature, was the first person to use the word “funeral” in his work, The Knight’s Tale at around 1386. This was a part of Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written during the Middle Ages.
THE BRITISH FUNERAL PROCESS
Reporting the death is the first thing done in this situation. Things are much easier if the deceased was in the hospital because the hospital employees are most likely to help you in preparing the death certificate. If the deceased was at home or any other place, contact the corresponding authorities that will help you in this process. The death must be registered within five days (eight days in Scotland). Once registered, you can have the documents needed to prepare for the funeral.
If the death was reported to the coroner, you would not be able to register the death without the permission of the coroner. You can also register a death tool and try if you can register the death yourself. Guidelines will be given to you once you have successfully finished registering the death.
After that, you can contact a funeral home of your choice. They will verify certain information to avoid any misunderstandings or conflicts. As much as possible, pick a funeral director who is a member of either the National Association of Funeral Directors or The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
If you want to have the body brought from abroad, it is necessary to ask permission from the coroner. The application should be submitted for at least four days before the body is moved.
The funeral director will make certain arrangements and will consult with you regarding the preparations. It would be advisable to have this type of conversation at your home so you would feel more comfortable instead of doing it at the office of the funeral home. This is where you will be able to decide on the type of funeral service (cremation service, burial service), and other funeral products (burial clothes, type of casket, headstone, etc.) you want to avail of.
IS EMBALMING NECESSARY?
This would depend on the type of funeral service you would have for your deceased loved one. If your family has decided that you will proceed with cremating the remains without organizing a wake (also called direct cremation), then embalming will not be required by the funeral home. The corpse will be stored in refrigeration area until the cremation process can take place.
On the other hand, the funeral home will require you to have the embalming if you are going to have a wake, whether you will proceed with cremation or burial.
WAKES
Wakes are practiced since the times of the Anglo-Saxons. Family members recite late-night prayer vigils because they believe these will protect the body from evil spirits. This was traditionally done at the home of the deceased and before the funeral service takes place. Wakes normally last for three to four days to allow relatives from far places to visit the deceased. This event may also be accompanied by feasts and dancing.
In modern times, prayer vigils are not automatically recited in funeral services. Wakes are now held after the deceased has been interred or cremated. This is a way for the family members and friends left behind to reminisce on their memories and experiences with the deceased. Food and refreshments are served to visitors. Funeral homes or chapels are now commonly used as a place for the wake, due to changing beliefs in superstitions and hygienic purposes instead of holding it at home. Viewing is its funeral counterpart in the United States and Canada.
BURIAL AND CREMATION
During ancestral times, burial was the usual choice for disposing of the remains of loved ones. Most of the graves are facing west to east in Christian cemeteries because it traces back to the Pagan practices of sun worshippers. Early Christians followed this because they want the bodies to be facing Jesus Christ when Resurrection comes. Flowers and personal items are thrown to the coffin when it is being lowered below the ground.
Gravestones date back to 2000 BC in the UK, and have been a British tradition ever since. Researchers even consider the Stonehenge (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to be one of the most ancient gravesites in the world.
Simple burials were historically done, and slowly shifted to elaborate burial rituals and products to be included. Now, it would seem that we are going back to these simple and “green” burials because of environmental issues. Disposable coffins serve as containers to bodies, and memorial trees are seen as a substitute to headstones.
On the other hand, cremation only became more common in recent times because of religious customs. Certain religious denominations who forbid cremation before allow it now. Having your loved ones cremated is also cheaper than having a burial service.
FUNERAL INVITATIONS
Writing funeral invitations are optional, but here are some important details you should indicate when making one.
Name of the deceased
Date of birth
Date of death
Date and time of the funeral
Location of the funeral
Other activities
To make the funeral invitations more personal, you can add these as well:
The name of the person/s you are inviting
Short note
FUNERAL FLOWERS AND CANDLES
Funeral flowers and candles were used back then to mask the unpleasant smells of the corpse. Due to updated mortuary care, the bereaved do not have to do this anymore. Still, the tradition stayed and has been consistently done for quite some time.
White lilies, carnations, and chrysanthemums are the preferred choices for funeral flowers as they are associated with purity, remembrance, and death, respectively.
FUNERAL MUSIC
Traditionally, classical music is played during the funeral service. However, people are looking for ways to personalise this event, and this includes the type of music. There is a reemergence of jazz music being played during funerals, while some family members play the deceased’s favorite pop songs. You also have the option to play gospel songs or other instrumental music.
FUNERAL DONATIONS
During the Elizabethan era, it was customary to give money to the grieving family members. There are people who still follow this tradition, but most people encourage the donation to hospices or other charitable organizations of their choice. For example, relatives and friends are most likely to donate to an institution that cares for cancer patients if the deceased died from cancer.
FUNERAL PROCESSIONS
Funeral processions are done around the world, but were first traced to the Romans. At the time, deceased people from wealthy and prominent backgrounds have bigger processions and more music. These families even hire professional mourners who cry loudly during the funeral procession.
In the UK, funeral processions are still led by a hearse. This is done more often in sparsely-populated communities. The funeral procession normally takes place from the location of the body to the place where the body will be interred or cremated. Family members, friends, and other visitors are transported to the venue through funeral procession cars.
FUNERAL PROCESSION LAWS AND GUIDELINES
There are no specific motoring laws when it comes to funeral processions in the UK, but stopping and paying respects to the dead is commonly done by passersby. Funeral directors place markers or flags in the funeral procession cars to avoid confusion.
BRITISH MEMORIAL PRACTICES
Wearing black clothes is one way of grieving the loss of loved one. In the UK, this custom started in the Elizabethan era, but became more known when Queen Victoria lost her husband Prince Albert to a chronic disease. At the time, widows are expected to wear mourning clothes for two years.
Currently, black clothes are still worn during funerals but they can be paired with other colours like white, brown, navy blue, or other subdued colours. There may be instances when families would specify a particular colour to wear in a funeral. This is often the case in children’s funerals. They would wear clothes in the deceased child’s favorite colour.
The traditional practice to inform relatives and friends of the death of a particular person is through the obituary in a local or national newspaper. This has been going on for numerous generations, and older death notices are even written as poems when the deceased is a member of aristocracy or other distinguished families. Things started to change in the 20th century when deceased people in the “working class” station are also included in obituaries.
In the modern age, social media sites are used to inform family members and friends of the death of a loved one. The social media giant Facebook even allows an online memorial, in which a specific person is given control over the deceased’s account to make it into an online memorial. An online memorial is a virtual space where the bereaved can pay their respects to a deceased loved one by placing funeral information, touching messages, photos, and videos of the deceased with family members and friends. This is done not only in the UK, but also across the globe.
During the 1800s to 1900s, a huge feast is organized after the funeral. This was meant to be a celebration of the life of a loved one, although this was done less frequently during the war years. Selected parts in the UK gather in pubs to celebrate “happy funerals”, and are becoming a trend among younger people. Upbeat songs are played and ashes are turned into a fireworks display as well.
Britons were accustomed to wearing mourning jewellery, especially during the times of Queen Victoria. Ashes, hair, and even skeletons are placed inside lockets, rings, and fob watches. These may be accompanied with designs like miniature paintings.
PET MEMORIALS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR.
Pet owners are dedicating pet memorials depending on the type of pet and the messages they want to leave behind. Dog memorials are most commonly done, and some of these pet memorials even have bone-shaped and paw print-shaped memorials. They can be displayed at home or a special place dedicated for that purpose.
WHAT ARE MEMORIAL DIAMONDS?
Memorial diamonds are diamonds made from the ashes of our loved ones. Other terms include memory diamonds, remembrance diamonds, and cremation diamonds.
Memorial diamonds are a great way of showing the affection you have for a departed loved one. These will help you remember the experiences you shared with that person, and will ensure you that this testament of your love will last forever, just like diamonds.
HOW TO TURN ASHES INTO MEMORIAL DIAMONDS
EverDear™ can turn your loved one’s ashes into memorial diamonds through advanced technology. When we transform human ashes into memorial diamonds we employ three steps. These are the following:
Carbon extraction from human ashes and hair – The ashes and hair will be submitted to EverDear™ for carbon extraction and refinement. These will be exposed to heat in a vacuum environment, then purified by hand.
Memorial diamond formation – A diamond seed is placed at the bottom of a belt press and is subjected to high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) of over 2,000 degrees Celsius. This will melt the catalyst metal, crystallise it, and lead to the formation of a raw memorial diamond.
Cutting and polishing the memorial diamond – Our artisans will design the crosswork to bring out the best potential of raw memorial diamonds. This process will show the best angles, high clarity, and maximum weight of memorial diamonds. Afterwards, they will be polished so that they can be suitable memorial pieces.
WHAT SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO MAKE MEMORIAL DIAMONDS?
100 grams of ashes or 2 grams of hair are required to make one memorial diamond. If you want a combination of the two, 50 grams of ashes and 1 gram of hair are needed.
Is it possible to make memorial diamonds for pets?
EverDear™ can make memorial diamonds for pets, regardless of the animal’s species. The same process will take place, and the colour can be changed depending on your preferences as well.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE MEMORIAL DIAMONDS FROM ASHES?
Yellow memorial diamonds from ashes take only five to six months to be produced. On the other hand, blue and colorless memorial diamonds from ashes take longer with seven to ten months.
4CS OF MEMORIAL DIAMONDS
Memorial diamonds are graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the International Gemological Institute (IGI), just like natural diamonds. They are based on four characteristics – colour, cut, carat weight, and clarity of memorial diamonds.
MEMORIAL DIAMONDS COLOUR
The colour of memorial diamonds is usually yellow because of nitrogen in ashes. However, we can eliminate nitrogen in the composition so that you will end up with blue memorial diamonds. If you want the most timeless look for your memorial diamonds, and a shade which will reflect the purity of your loved one, you can have a colourless memorial diamond.
EverDear™ offers all three colours – yellow (Golden Star), blue (Azure Serenity), and colourless (Immaculate Soul). We can assure you that we do not mix any other chemicals to your memorial diamonds, leaving them more natural and reflective of your loved one.
MEMORIAL DIAMONDS CUT
There are different types of cuts for memorial diamonds, ranging from emerald cuts to princess cuts. Still, we offer the most classic of all these cuts, and this is the round cut. Our experts recommend the round cut because it has 58 facets that reflect the most light. This enables your memorial diamonds to have brilliance and fire even if it has a low carat weight. This design will look good on any type of memorial jewellery as well.
MEMORIAL DIAMONDS CARAT WEIGHT
EverDear™ allows you to pick the number of carats for your memorial diamonds. Our number of carats range from 0.03 up to 0.69 carats. The pricing for our memorial diamonds are based on carat weight because we cannot give an exact size of the memorial diamond before it is formed. However, we can give you a size range depending on your preferred carat weight.
MEMORIAL DIAMONDS CLARITY
Based on the Gemological Institute of America’s diamond grading scale, our memorial diamonds have the classification of VS (Very Slightly Included) and VVS (Very, Very Slightly Included). These grading classifications mean that our memorial diamonds only have minute inclusions. These imperfections can only be viewed under 10x magnification. Since your memorial diamonds will serve as a remembrance of your departed loved one, we want to make them as beautiful as possible.
HOW MUCH DO MEMORIAL DIAMONDS COST?
Most people think memorial diamond prices are expensive because diamonds are considered as one of the most valuable stones in the world. While it is true that they are valuable, memorial diamonds do not take billions of years to make. They are not obtained through mining which can risk the lives of miners and bring danger to communities and the environment. The production of memorial diamonds in a laboratory makes them more affordable.
Other memorial diamond producers offer exorbitant prices. Some memorial diamonds in the UK may cost at least a thousand pounds. At EverDear™, our memorial diamonds cost in the UK starts at only £395. The most expensive memorial diamonds cost is our colourless memorial diamond with a carat weight range of 0.45 to 0.69 carats at a price of £3,815. You can check our website for more details on our memorial diamonds prices.
HOW TO PURCHASE EVERDEAR™’S MEMORIAL DIAMONDS
Because we believe that price should not become a hindrance for people to transform their loved ones into memorial diamonds, we have a flexible payment plan for you. Upon placing the order, you only have to pay 50% of the total amount and the other 50% will only be due when your memorial diamond has been delivered to you.
You can either make the payment online through credit card or make a bank transfer within seven days of placing the order.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER DISCOUNT PLANS IF MORE THAN ONE MEMORIAL DIAMOND IS ORDERED?
EverDear™ has the following discount plans to make things more convenient for you.
5% discount on the total memorial diamonds cost for orders of two in the same colour and size.
5% discount on the total memorial diamonds cost for orders of two or more memorial diamonds in different colours and sizes.
8% discount on the total memorial diamonds cost for orders of three in the same colour and size.
10% discount on the total amount for memorial diamonds of four or more in the same colour and size.
EVERDEAR™ MAKES PERSONALISED MEMORIAL JEWELLERY FROM ASHES.
Our memorial diamonds can be mounted on memorial jewellery so they can be worn anytime you want. You can choose personalised remembrance jewellery designs from our website. Here are the following options:
Memorial necklaces – Memorial necklaces from ashes are often used in making memorial jewellery. For most people, it can mean that your loved one will always be in your heart. Memorial pendants from ashes are also chosen because they can house a memorial diamond with a larger carat weight.
Memorial rings – The round shape of memorial rings signify your eternal love for that person. This is also why rings are the most common type of jewellery associated with weddings.
Memorial earrings – A pair of memorial earrings are suitable for any occasion. This is a great option when you want to quietly reminisce on the significant experiences you shared with that person.
Memorial bracelets – Simple designs for memorial bracelets are preferred over those with more elaborate ornaments.
If you want, you can have memorial jewellery from pet ashes as well. Pet memorial necklaces are the most popular choice for pet owners.
TURNING YOUR LOVED ONES’ ASHES INTO MEMORIAL DIAMONDS IS A UNIQUE WAY OF COMMEMORATING THEIR LIVES.
Making memorial diamonds from ashes can help us cope with the loss of loved ones. In this way, we get to see them transform into something beautiful and resilient, and that which will last forever.
The process of turning ashes into memorial diamonds may not be the number one option for families and friends in the UK, but it is certainly one of the most fulfilling ways to memorialize them. When you change them into memorial diamonds, you can bring them with you anywhere you go. This is easier especially for people who are constantly traveling from one place to another.
You can now eternalize your loved one by ordering memorial diamonds from EverDear™.
