http://www.guardian.co.uk...ael-jackson-hair-diamondsThose who seek a tasteful, restrained tribute to Michael Jackson may soon have an alternative – diamonds made from the singer's charred hair. A company called LifeGem has announced plans to make jewellery from Jackson's seared locks, recovered at the scene of a Pepsi commercial where the King of Pop's head caught fire.
"Our plan is to give people an opportunity to own a diamond made from Michael Jackson's DNA," Dean VandenBiesen, founder of LifeGem, announced.
But LifeGem's tissue sample hasn't come directly from the Jackson family, rather the source of the company's DNA was collected at the 1984 commercial shoot where Jackson was severely injured by faulty pyrotechnics. Executive producer Ralph Cohen used his Armani jacket to extinguish Jackson's burning head – and then saved the charred hair that fell to the floor.
http://www.chicagotribune...hairjul29,0,5500867.storyA Chicago-area company that converted strands of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair into diamonds will soon use the same process on the hair of another music icon -- Michael Jackson.
A lock of Jackson's hair that was charred during the infamous filming of a 1984 Pepsi commercial could produce up to 10 half-carat diamonds, said Greg Herro, CEO of LifeGem.
The hair will be heated to about 5,400 degrees, reducing it to carbon so it can be crystallized and turned into diamonds -- a patented process that takes six to nine months, Herro said.
