Japanese Firm Turns Pet Ashes into Gemstones as Memorial Market Grows

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Services that turn cremated ashes into artificial diamonds became known in Japan about 20 years ago, but were initially only available through overseas providers—making them costly and time-consuming. Now, a Japanese company has developed a new technology that creates moissanite, a synthetic gemstone similar to diamond, from cremated remains. The product is sold under the name "Livnite" and is aimed primarily at memorializing pets, especially dogs.

In May, a pet expo was held at Makuhari Messe during Japan's Golden Week. At the booth for memorial jewelry brand Sol & Hug, Rikio Mikami, president of the brand's sales agent LIVENT, told a reporter: "Livnite has a higher refractive index and dispersion than diamond. It is also highly durable, so we recommend it as jewelry meant to be worn."

Over the three-day event, around 1,200 people visited the booth. However, because the process involves entrusting a loved one's remains and the product is still largely unfamiliar, some dog owners responded with hesitation.

Pricing and Positioning

A 4 mm stone (equivalent to 0.2 carats) is priced at ¥198,000 (about $1,300), with platinum ring settings starting at ¥310,000.

"Conventional synthetic diamonds are mainly produced using a high-temperature, high-pressure method that requires expensive equipment. Companies in the US and Switzerland are well known for this, and prices often exceed ¥1 million," Mikami explained. "Livnite can be a more accessible alternative. Each stone is handmade in Chiba Prefecture, and we are not aware of any other example of synthetic moissanite being produced from cremated remains."

The underlying technology was developed three years ago by a mineral researcher in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. It works by extracting carbon from cremated remains and combining it with silicon and solvents in a sealed, heated environment to grow crystals from a nucleus. LIVENT, which offers customized funeral services under the brand Hana-Sougi across the greater Tokyo area, was later brought in to commercialize the technology.

A 4 mm gem requires roughly 10 grams of remains; a 7 mm gem requires about 15 grams. Test sales launched last year, and the company has since received 39 orders, including some using human remains.

*The artificial moissanite made from cremated remains can also be worn as jewelry. (©Sankei/Akiko Shigematsu)*

Mixed Reactions from Visitors

A 28-year-old consultant visiting the booth with her two Shiba dogs was receptive. "Compared to diamonds, the price feels reasonable. I had no idea technology had advanced to the point where memories could be preserved in such a beautiful form," she said. "Pets pass away before we do, so I keep their baby teeth as keepsakes."

A woman in her twenties who attended with her parents and two Western-breed dogs was more hesitant. "There isn't much information about the production process, so parts of it feel unclear. When you are entrusting something as important as cremated remains, trust and reassurance are essential."

She mentioned that her family keeps the ashes of more than ten dogs at home. "It takes up quite a lot of space, so turning them into jewelry could help. But if I lost a piece while wearing it, it would be devastating—so we would probably just display it at home," she said, as her parents nodded along.

Growing Pet Memorial Market

According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Tokyo had the highest number of registered dogs of any prefecture as of the end of fiscal 2024, at 559,000, followed by Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka, and Saitama—a distribution that underscores the strong potential of the pet business, and the pet funeral market in particular, in major urban areas.

"Many people want to give their pets a proper farewell," said Mikami. "We originally saw this as an option for human funerals, but we came to realize there is strong demand from people who have kept their dogs' ashes at home for years, unsure of what to do with them."

One customer, a housewife from Shinjuku, Tokyo, became familiar with the service after using Hana-Sougi for her mother-in-law's funeral. She had Livnite made from the remains of two miniature dachshunds that had long been enshrined at a household Buddhist altar.

"When I opened the box, it was so dazzling that I was speechless. I even told my son to put this jewel in my urn when I die." She had previously commissioned a portrait of her late dogs painted onto a kimono sash, but said, "When I wear it, it makes me feel sad."

She does not wear the jewelry either, keeping it in the household altar instead. "Our current three dogs are all over ten years old, so my husband and I are mentally preparing ourselves. When the time comes, I think we will make an order again."