Gavin Bok — Diamonds From Ashes
With Gavin Bok — Diamonds From Ashes
In short
Gavin Bok explains how cremation ashes — or human and pet hair — are turned into real, lab-grown memorial diamonds through Swiss company Algedanza, for which he is the South African regional partner. Covers the carbon extraction and high-pressure process, why the stones always come out blue, quantities needed, five to eight month timelines, certification and how to fund one through life cover. The one takeaway: The stones are chemically real diamonds, grown from carbon isolated from ashes or hair in a high pressure, high temperature machine that simulates nature.
What exactly is Diamonds From Ashes?
It is a memorial diamond made from a loved one's cremation ashes, intended as a keepsake that can be passed down through the family. Gavin Bok runs it as his representation of the product in South Africa, as regional partner for the Swiss company Algedanza, which is around 14 to 15 years old and operates in about 34 countries.
What does the name Algedanza mean?
Algedanza means remembrance. It comes from an ancient Swiss language called Ramange. The company began in Switzerland and has since spread to more than 30 countries, producing a few hundred diamonds a year.
How did a photographer end up in the memorial diamond business?
Gavin's mother died about three years earlier, and a viral Facebook article about a Swiss company turning ashes into diamonds gave him an immediate personal desire to do it for her. His last memories of her illness had unsettled him. A client in the funeral industry later pushed him for details, and his sister-in-law in Switzerland made the connection that took him to meet founder Rinaldo Woolley.
Why choose a diamond over a grave or an urn?
Because it stays with the family wherever they go. Gavin notes people migrate, graveyards are not friendly places to visit, and more people are cremating. Ashes often cause friction when one relative wants to scatter them and another wants a jar on the mantelpiece; a diamond can be made for each family member and carries a perception of value.
How is the diamond actually made?
Carbon is isolated from the ashes in Switzerland, then placed in a high pressure, high temperature machine for an extended period, simulating what happens in nature. Gavin stresses it is chemically a real diamond, made from carbon. Unlike industrial production, only a single diamond is grown from one client's carbon at a time.
Why are the diamonds always blue, and can you choose the shade?
No, the colour is unpredictable. Boron in the remains survives cremation and carbonisation, and it produces the blue. Because nothing is added or interfered with, results range from a pale whitish stone to a very dark one — Gavin's mother's came out bright light blue, his sons' hair diamond almost like a sapphire.
Can a diamond be made from someone who is still alive, or from a pet?
Yes. Diamonds can be grown from hair, which also removes the cultural barrier where cremation does not take place. For his 30th wedding anniversary, Gavin had a diamond made from hair sampled from his three sons and set it in a ring built from melted-down jewellery inherited from his mother and mother-in-law.
How much material is needed and how long does it take?
About 10 to 15 grams of hair — roughly one or two haircuts — or about 500 grams of ashes for a memorial diamond. From receipt of the material to Gavin personally handing the finished stone to the client takes approximately five to eight months, with the stone grown slightly larger than ordered to allow for the chosen cut.
How can someone arrange this for themselves in advance?
Gavin has written the wish into his last will and testament and taken out additional life cover so the funds are set aside. He wants each of his children to receive a diamond when he and his wife pass on, and says this avoids burdening the estate or the family left behind.
In their words
Diamonds From Ashes is a memorial diamond made from cremation ashes from a loved one. It is there to share and represent a person who's passed and in a beautiful memorial that you can keep and pass on to your family.
When we manufacture a diamond, the result is what it is, just like it's a representative of a person who's not perfect. We all are unique. So the diamonds very unique.
I just lost my mum and my last memories of my mother really wasn't, it spooked me and she was very ill, lost a lot of weight and I didn't recognise her.
The one family member wants to cost the ashes somewhere. The other wants to keep it in a jar on the mantelpiece. And it causes a kind of a friction.
We've written into our lost will and testament our wish. So we've expressed it that way. And secondly, we've taken out additional life cover so that the funds are provided and put aside
Key takeaways
- The stones are chemically real diamonds, grown from carbon isolated from ashes or hair in a high pressure, high temperature machine that simulates nature.
- Colour cannot be specified — boron surviving cremation makes every diamond some shade of blue, from near-white to almost sapphire.
- Only one diamond is grown per client's carbon, unlike industrial batches, which is what guarantees the sentimental value.
- Hair works as well as ashes, which opens the option to people whose culture does not permit cremation, to living family members and to pets.
- Each diamond is laser inscribed with the Algedanza name and a manufacturing code, so a stolen stone can be identified by a jeweller under 10 times magnification and reconnected with the family.
- Cost is driven by size and cut rather than quality, and can be planned for through a will and additional life cover.
Show notes
On this episode I chat to Gavin Bok from Diamonds From Ashes, a slightly macabre yet strangely fitting way of honouring your loved ones.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any legal obstacle to making these diamonds in South Africa?
Gavin says no. Each diamond comes with a full Swiss certificate describing the cut, clarity and normal diamond specifications, and authenticating it as manufactured in Switzerland.
Can a personal message be added to the stone?
Yes. Alongside the standard Algedanza inscription and manufacturing code, a personal message can also be laser inscribed onto the diamond.
Is the finished stone cut, or does it arrive rough?
It is cut to order. The diamond is deliberately grown slightly bigger than the size ordered so there is enough material to achieve the selected shape, such as a brilliant or a heart.
Where can people find more information?
The Diamonds From Ashes Facebook page, facebook.com/diamondsfromashes, or diamondsfromashes.co.za, which redirects there. The page carries pictures, samples and stories, Gavin's contact details are listed, and he is also on LinkedIn.
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