After a loss — of a person or a beloved pet — many families want something physical to hold onto. In New Zealand the realistic options fall into three groups: cremation jewellery that holds a small amount of ashes, infused keepsakes where ashes are melted into glass or set in resin, and memorial diamonds grown from the carbon in hair. They differ enormously in cost, permanence, and what they actually are — and each suits different families.
The Three Options at a Glance
| Cremation Jewellery (Ash-Holding) | Ashes-Infused Glass / Resin | Memorial Diamond (Hair-Grown) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A pendant, ring, or bracelet with a small sealed chamber containing a pinch of ashes | Ashes melted into hand-blown glass or set within resin as a decorative keepsake | A genuine lab-grown diamond created from carbon extracted from hair, set in jewellery |
| Typical NZ price | NZ$50–$500 | NZ$150–$800 | NZ$2,650–$3,280 at Silmaril (all-inclusive); NZ$5,000–$20,000+ from overseas providers |
| Made from your loved one? | Contains them — the jewellery itself is off-the-shelf | Partially — ashes are mixed into the material | Yes — the diamond's carbon comes from their hair |
| Timeframe | Immediate to 2 weeks | 2–8 weeks | ~80 days from sample receipt to delivery |
| Durability | Depends on the seal; chambers can loosen over years | Glass is permanent but fragile; resin can yellow over time | The hardest known material — effectively eternal |
| What's required | A pinch of ashes | A small amount of ashes | ~10g human hair or ~20g pet fur (ashes cannot be used) |
| Certification | — | — | GIA / IGI gemological certification available |
Cremation Jewellery: Accessible and Immediate
Ash-holding jewellery is by far the most accessible option, and for many families it is exactly right. It is affordable, available quickly — often within days of the funeral — and widely stocked by NZ funeral homes and online retailers. If the goal is a modest, immediate token of closeness, it does that job well.
Its honest limitations: the jewellery itself is a manufactured product that never touched your loved one; only the contents are theirs. The chamber's seal is a mechanical part that can loosen with years of daily wear, and losing the pendant means losing the ashes inside it. Many owners end up wearing these pieces only occasionally for that reason.
Ashes-Infused Glass and Resin: A Visible Middle Ground
Several New Zealand artisans create hand-blown glass paperweights, beads, and pendants with cremation ashes swirled visibly through the material. These are genuinely beautiful objects, each one unique, and the ashes are part of the material rather than merely contained by it.
Considerations: glass is permanent but fragile — a dropped pendant can shatter. Resin pieces are tougher but can yellow or cloud over a decade. And as with ash-holding jewellery, the majority of the object is still glass or resin; the ashes are an inclusion, not the substance.
Memorial Diamonds: Formed From, Not Filled With
A memorial diamond inverts the relationship. Rather than a container holding a part of your loved one, the diamond is made from them: carbon is extracted from their hair, purified to 99.95%+, and grown into a genuine diamond crystal under high pressure and temperature over roughly 35–50 days. The result has the same crystal structure and physical properties as a mined diamond, and can be certified by GIA or IGI. The full process is documented here.
The honest limitations run the other way: it is the most significant investment of the three, it takes around 80 days from sample receipt to delivery, and it requires hair — approximately 10 grams for a person, 20 grams for a pet. If your loved one was cremated and no hair was saved, this option may no longer be available, which is why we encourage families to save hair early, even before deciding anything.
A note on "ashes to diamonds" services: some overseas providers advertise diamonds made from cremation ashes. Ashes contain very little usable carbon — mostly mineral compounds — which is why Silmaril works exclusively with hair, the most reliable carbon source. We explain the chemistry here.
How to Choose: Three Questions
1. What do you have?
This is often the deciding factor. If only ashes remain, ash-holding jewellery or infused glass are your options. If hair exists — a saved lock, a hairbrush, a groomer's clipping — all three doors are open. Check before deciding: hair survives in more places than most families expect.
2. What role will it play?
A keepsake worn occasionally on anniversaries asks less of its materials than something worn every day for decades, or passed to a daughter or grandson as an heirloom. For daily wear and inheritance, durability matters most — and that is where a diamond in 18K gold is in a category of its own.
3. What feels right for your budget — honestly?
Grief is not a competition, and spending more does not mean loving more. A NZ$150 glass bead chosen with care is a better memorial than an expensive purchase that strains a family. Memorial diamonds make sense when the significance of the piece — something formed from your loved one, permanent, certifiable, inheritable — matches what you want it to carry. At Silmaril that starts at NZ$2,650 all-inclusive, a fraction of typical overseas pricing; our provider comparison shows the market honestly.
The One Thing to Do Regardless
Whatever you choose — or if you choose nothing at all right now — save some hair if it is still possible. Ten grams in a labelled envelope in a drawer costs nothing and keeps every option open for years, including the ones you can't imagine wanting yet. Decisions made in the first weeks of grief don't need to be final; the only irreversible mistake is having nothing kept.