Everyone said she was a gem. Now, just eight ounces of cremated remains is all it takes to turn your mother into a diamond.

In fact, there's enough carbon in those ashes to make about 20 gems. And there will still be several pounds of ashes left over to display on the mantelpiece .

So far, nobody's ordered more than 11 diamonds, said Dean Vanden Biesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem, which uses super-hot ovens to transform ashes to graphite and then presses the stone into blue and yellow diamonds that retail for anywhere from 2,700 to 20,000 dollars.

The success of LifeGem is just one example of a radical shift in the funeral industry. Americans are moving away from traditional funerals and are seeking instead less somber occasions that reflect the personality of the deceased.