Modern Dog Editor Jennifer Nosek had her beloved dog Esther's ashes turned into a diamond. (You can read the full story here.) Heart in Diamond creates beautiful gem-grade diamonds from your dog’s ashes or fur so you can carry your dog with you wherever you go. Here's how it works. 

1. The first step in the process is to determine the diamond size, cut, and colour you would like. There is a rainbow of colour choices, including orange, yellow, blue, and colourless. The intensity of the final colour (for example, a very pale yellow-orange or a deep orange) will depend on the individual’s carbon chemical composition.

2. Next, you send ⅔ cup of your pet’s ashes or a ½ cup of fur. You can also combine the two or even add a lock of your own hair. If you don’t have enough, Heart In Diamond can combine additional generic carbon to create your diamond, though most people opt to add in their own hair, says Heart in Diamond’s Operational Manager, Anastasia Formenti.

3. The carbon from the sample you provide is compressed and placed in a machine that recreates the natural conditions of a diamond growing under the Earth’s crust (extreme temperatures of 3,632°F and pressure levels of 60,000 Atmospheres!). Finally, your diamond is inspected, polished by a diamond polisher, and graded for the 4C’s—colour, clarity, cut, and carat—ensuring your diamond is gem grade. It takes just 75 to 120 days, depending on colour, to create your genuine diamond. Your lab-grown diamond comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and is guaranteed to be physically, chemically, and optically identical to earth-mined diamonds. ′

Heart In Diamond genuine diamonds start at $750. They offer a 0% interest plan allowing families to spread the cost over six, 12 or 24 months, as well as a bundle deal in case you want more than one diamond made. For example, if you order four of the smallest sized diamonds (all made from the same ashes), then the price is $295 per diamond. You can find out more at heart-in-diamond.com.