Hace ya un tiempo hablé de la empresa LifeGem, que asegura ser capaz de convertir el contenido en carbono de los restos cremados de una persona en diamantes. Ahora, dando vueltas por Snopes.com, una magnífico sitio dedicado a las leyendas urbanas, me encuentro conque también ellos hablan de la empresa. Se plantean si es posible convertir los restos cremados de una persona en diamantes y citan a varios expertos que aseguran que en principio tal cosa sería posible. Aún así, califican la veracidad de la historia como indeterminada. ¿Por qué? Por esto:
Whatever the true feasibility of turning cremains into synthetic diamonds, it might be best to view that question as a bit of misdirection intended to distract attention from the query that should be forefront in anyone’s mind. As Mark Gershburg, director of European Gemological Laboratory (an independent laboratory that vouches for the quality of diamonds), points out, it is impossible to distinguish LifeGem synthetic diamonds from other synthetic diamonds. If that’s the case, what stops LifeGems from producing synthetic diamonds from ordinary graphite, then passing them off as a bit of your dear uncle Harry? Indeed, what stops them from buying synthetic diamonds from other suppliers and reselling them to the bereaved at large mark-ups? Given that LifeGem is offering its «created diamonds» for prices ranging from $4,000 to $22,000 for a quarter-carat up to a full carat, such a question should give any prospective buyer signficant pause.
Avisados quedan.