I don't know if any of you have read about Lifegem, the Chicago company that will take your deceased "loved one" and turn them into a "high quality" diamond of blue, red or yellow. I was perusing their website today. I am still not convinced they are real (i.e., not an elaborate hoax), but they do answer the phone and have been in many articles.
In any event, assuming they are real, what could their process mean for the value of diamonds? Assuming they are able to create real diamonds -- which is what they claim -- from carbon, wouldn't that drive the price of diamonds way down if they can do it cheaper than diamonds found in nature? They are currently working on colorless gems. So if Lifegem can take any piece of roadkill and turn it into a D VVS1 1.5 carat diamond -- that is a real diamond, not synthetic -- for $10,000 (or less... at some point), I think it could have significant reverberations on the price of diamonds worldwide. Why buy a diamond found in nature when a man-made diamond is better and cheaper? They could hire the best cutters and still be cheaper than a diamond gathered through DeBeers or other mines. It could be that the technology is too expensive now to compete on this business model, but what about 10 years from now? They could stick with memorials for loved ones and license out the technology to other companies who just turn out diamonds.
Any thoughts?
http://www.lifegem.com/index-us.htm
http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/faq.htm
In any event, assuming they are real, what could their process mean for the value of diamonds? Assuming they are able to create real diamonds -- which is what they claim -- from carbon, wouldn't that drive the price of diamonds way down if they can do it cheaper than diamonds found in nature? They are currently working on colorless gems. So if Lifegem can take any piece of roadkill and turn it into a D VVS1 1.5 carat diamond -- that is a real diamond, not synthetic -- for $10,000 (or less... at some point), I think it could have significant reverberations on the price of diamonds worldwide. Why buy a diamond found in nature when a man-made diamond is better and cheaper? They could hire the best cutters and still be cheaper than a diamond gathered through DeBeers or other mines. It could be that the technology is too expensive now to compete on this business model, but what about 10 years from now? They could stick with memorials for loved ones and license out the technology to other companies who just turn out diamonds.
Any thoughts?
http://www.lifegem.com/index-us.htm
http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/faq.htm