The Origin of Your PUREdiamond – Step by Step
Unlike the PUREdiamond, a naturally formed diamond is created from the carbon in volcanic ash—approximately 200 km below the Earth’s surface, under extremely high pressure and temperatures over a long period of time. We simulate these conditions—approximately 60,000 bar and approximately 1,400 degrees Celsius—in our workshop and accelerate the formation process.
Carbon source for your PUREdiamond
The memorial diamond
The carbon source for the memorial diamond can, for example, be the hair, cremation ashes or a mixture of both from one or more of your animal companions.
A diamond made from hair
The carbon source for the hair diamond can, for example, be the hair of one or more of your animal companions.
The friendship diamond
The preselection
You can either choose a Semper Fides partner you trust or contact us directly. We will be happy to assist you in selecting your personal diamond.
Completion
The base color
You determine the base colour of your PUREdiamond. The subtle nuances in which your personal PUREdiamond ultimately shines are due to the individual carbon source and the growth process used.
Rough diamond
The PUREdiamond as a rough diamond. With all its unique corners and edges, it is just as beautiful and unique as your beloved four-legged friend…
Cut of your PUREdiamond
Whether brilliant, emerald, princess or another cut – the decision is entirely yours.
Brilliant
Emerald
Princess
Radiant
Heart
Asscher
Carat
We offer PUREdiamond in sizes ranging from 0.25 to 1.00 carats. Beyond that, we will need to check on a case-by-case basis whether we can fulfil your requirements.
Conditions and pricing
The PUREdiamond is available from 2,490 Euros. Its price is influenced by its size, cut, base colour and carbon source. For individual requests, quotations and financing options, please contact us directly. After ordering the PUREdiamond, please send your individual carbon source to Algordanza Erinnerungsdiamanten GmbH or hand it over to the respective partner, and we will begin with the preliminary analyses.
Processing
The extraction of raw materials for a PUREdiamond
Special processes are used in our laboratory to extract the carbon. Among other things, acids and bases are used to separate organic and inorganic ingredients.
In order to produce a PUREdiamond from the extracted carbon, we must further increase the purity of the isolated carbon. This involves breaking down carbon oxides, evaporating metallic impurities and creating a graphite structure. This is done by heating the amorphous (i.e. unformed) carbon in a vacuum to temperatures between 2,600 °C and 2,900 °C.
The result is carbon in a graphite lattice structure with a very high degree of purity. The arrangement of carbon atoms in a graphite structure is a prerequisite for subsequent diamond synthesis.
Even minor impurities make it impossible to transform your diamond.
During cremation, most of the carbon is released as carbon dioxide. As a rule, between 0.5 and 2.0 per cent of carbon remains in the ashes. This percentage can be verified by any appropriately equipped laboratory.
Das Wachstum und der Entstehungsprozess des PUREdiamond
The graphite is then inserted into a special growth cell. This growth cell consists of a large number of components that are manufactured by hand according to individual customer requirements.
Work is carried out with the utmost precision and attention is paid to absolute cleanliness, as otherwise diamond growth is impeded or even impossible. The growth cell creates an isolated environment that is necessary for the undisturbed growth process of your diamond.
The growth cell is placed in an HPHT press. In this case, HPHT stands for ‘High Pressure High Temperature’. HPHT presses are precision machines specially designed for the growth of your PUREdiamond, weighing up to 15 tonnes. The growth cell is subjected to a pressure of around 60,000 bar and a temperature of approximately 1,400 °C in the HPHT press. Under these conditions, which correspond to the growth conditions of a naturally grown diamond, the lattice structure of graphite is transformed into a diamond.
The size of your PUREdiamond does not depend on the amount of graphite available to us, but on how long the growth cell remains in the HPHT press. The longer the growth cell is inserted in the HPHT press, the larger the diamond will be.
After removal from the HPHT press, the growth cell is now removed layer by layer. Your PUREdiamond rough diamond is located in the cell nucleus, embedded in the ‘catalyst melt’. It has a cubic octahedral shape and up to 32 crystal faces. After the cell is broken open, the rough diamond is exposed and cleaned from the surrounding alloy using acids.
Alle PUREdiamonds wachsen aus einer individuellen Kohlenstoffquelle. Das bedeutet, dass zum Beispiel die Intensität der gewählten Grundfarbe, der Reinheitsgrad, die Proportionen und auch das Gewicht im Wachstumsprozess variieren können und zu Ihrem ganz persönlichen Unikat führen.
Grinding and polishing your PUREdiamond
The PUREdiamond will now be cut according to your wishes, unless you wish to receive it as a polished rough diamond. Cutting and polishing a diamond is an art form and is therefore only carried out by hand by experts. Depending on the desired cut, we carry this out either at our premises or at our experts’ premises in other European countries.
Completion of your PUREdiamond
Certification and engraving
After our quality inspection, each PUREdiamond receives an individual laser engraving containing the order number. The laser engraving is only legible under a microscope with at least 30x magnification. If you would like a rough diamond, we can engrave it with a personal inscription, such as the name of your pet. At the end of the process, the final documentation is created with the certificate. The latter includes, among other things, the origin of the carbon and the properties of the PUREdiamond.
Handover
The finished PUREdiamond will be handed over to you in person or sent to you.
Our promise
We guarantee that the carbon in your personal diamond comes from the carbon source provided to us and that no foreign carbon is added. Please pay attention to this information when comparing offers from other market participants.
Why choose a PUREdiamond - and not just any “synthetic diamond from somewhere”?
Semper Fides stands for quality, transparency, and trust. We guarantee that your personal PUREdiamond is created exclusively from the carbon in the cremation ashes you provide, or from your pet’s hair or feathers.
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No addition of carbon from other sources
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Over 20 years of experience with HPHT technology
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Every step is carried out in our own Swiss manufactory
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Scientifically grounded processes in chemistry and physics
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Thousands of successfully grown diamonds
How your unique PUREdiamond is created - Frequently Asked Questions
Why can a diamond only form from the ashes or hair of an animal?
Ashes and hair contain carbon – diamonds consist entirely of carbon. Under controlled conditions, a diamond can therefore be grown from the extracted carbon. Other gemstones, such as sapphires or rubies, consist of completely different chemical elements, such as aluminium oxide. These elements are not present in either hair or ashes. For this reason, only a diamond is possible as a memorial stone made from biological material.
What sets the PUREdiamond apart from a conventional lab-grown diamond?
A standard laboratory-grown diamond is made from industrial carbon. Our PUREdiamond is created exclusively from the carbon we have extracted from your pet’s hair or ashes – making each one unique and irreproducible. This means that every pet diamond from Semper Fides is one of a kind, not only because of its colour and cut, but above all because of its biological origin.
Is the diamond really made from my pet?
Yes. The carbon contained in the hair or ashes is extracted and forms the basis for the creation of your personal PUREdiamond. From a scientific perspective, the memorial diamond is created from precisely this material – with a new structure, but without any of the material being replaced. It is not a symbolic representation, as is the case with other gemstones. It is a transformation of love into matter.
What makes a PUREdiamond so unique?
A PUREdiamond is created exclusively from the carbon contained in your pet’s hair or ashes. It is not a mass-produced item, but a unique gemstone with a personal history. Each stone is as unique as your faithful companion and carries its own story.
Why does it take so long to form?
This is because the creation of a diamond is a complex process, and the precision required takes time. Only after the initial step of chemically extracting carbon from the carbon source and preparing the growth environment can the controlled growth of your PUREdiamond begin under extreme conditions. A PUREdiamond is not created in haste, as even minor errors in the preparation stage are certain to lead to failure. The cutting of the diamond by our long-standing partner in Belgium also requires precision and time – as does the specially secured transport to and from the cutting facility.
Are there differences in quality among memorial diamonds?
Yes – both from a technical perspective and in terms of manufacturing. Whilst technical quality parameters such as clarity grade, colour and cut quality can be easily measured and tend to set the standard, the verified origin or manufacture of a memorial diamond defines an entirely different level of quality.
- What value do you place on a memorial diamond when you don’t know where it was made, how it was made, or what material it’s made of?
- What standard of quality can memorial diamonds from an online shop be expected to have, given that its production facilities and team are unknown and cannot be visited?
- What do you think of memorial diamonds made from your beloved pet’s remains that are produced in China, Russia or the UAE?
… and what do you think of memorial diamonds that have been crafted for over 20 years by a team renowned and experienced in the industry, which you can visit in Switzerland at any time?