A company called LifeGem creates diamonds out of the ashy remains of recently departed. As bizarre as it sounds, this company has created diamonds with only eight ounces of carbon taken from human remains. The carbon is then heated until it turns to graphite to then be pressed to replicate the forces of nature until it crystallizes. After a few months, LifeGem cuts and certifies your new diamond creating the ultimate family jewel to be passed down from generation to generation. If turning a piece of your loved one into diamonds sounds all too strange, they offer an option for pets too.
I have to say that the whole idea is a bid morbid, but the narcissist in me would rather be turned into a diamond than be eaten by worms, not that it really matters after you're dead anyway. Who knows, maybe in a few decades science will find a way to clone me by extracting DNA from the diamond. You can create up to 20 "tributes" from one person, and they cost no less than a funeral would cost you these days.
How about letting your loved ones go in helium balloons? The News Tribune has a strange story about a company called Eternal Ascent Society who just opened up another franchise west of the Mississippi. These guys will put the ashy remains of your loved one in a balloon, and send it off to they skies. The whole ceremony will cost around $1,600, which includes a DVD. The whole precess is environmentally friendly too.
