Diamonds are forever - and now deceased loved ones can be too.

A company is offering to turn dead relatives' ashes into a shining gem as a lasting memento.

Thanks to a technique developed by American company LifeGem, human ashes will no longer be entombed in the ground, or kept in jars collecting dust on the mantlepiece.

Instead, nearest and dearest can be pressed into diamonds and fashioned into rings, brooches, earrings, and even nose studs, putting a new twist on the idea of family heirlooms.

It is the first time the service of transforming a loved ones' ashes into the precious gems has been offered in the UK.

David Hampson, from Hurstpierpoint, is chief executive of LifeGem UK, whose offices are based in Hove.

The 42-year-old, who used to work for a crematorium company, found out about the service while attending a funeral convention in Las Vegas.

Although the firm's official launch is only today, he has already had 400 inquiries.

Mr Hampson said: "It's not going to be for everybody but if it helps someone deal with the loss of a relative, it can only be a good thing.

"Some people accuse me of trying to commercialise death but I disagree. It's just giving people more options.

"You only need 200 grams of ash to extract enough carbon for a one-carat diamond.

"I think it's excellent value if you compare it to other memorials such as tombstones, private gardens and mausoleums. And it is unique and exclusive."

For each order, about eight ounces of ashes will be sent by courier to a small industrial estate in Chicago, Illinois, where a 16-week patented process will transform them into a shining diamond.

For anyone worried about mix-ups in the mail, each set of ashes is given an individual tracking number to ensure it really is your loved one that ends up on your finger.

During the process, the ash is purified at 3,000 degrees centigrade to extract the carbon.

It is then further heated and pressurised into a diamond, which can then be cut and set.

They cost from £2,250 for a quarter-carat stone to £11,950 for one carat.

The Tandy family, from Reading, were the first customers to place an order with LifeGem UK.

Lin Tandy, 51, decided to order two gems to be made into rings for her two daughters after her husband, Brian, died suddenly of a heart attack in April, aged 56.

She said: "Brian was a geologist who loved making jewellery from the stones he found so it couldn't be a more fitting tribute to him."

Her daughter, Gayle, said: "I miss my dad every day and I see having his ashes made into a diamond as way of keeping him close to me."

For further details, call 01273 831658, or log on to www.lifegem-uk.