How is human ash turned into a gemstone? Mevisto at TM Wissen on ServusTV
What makes a gemstone valuable? Its perfection? Its natural origin? Its uniqueness? While natural gemstones form deep within the Earth under immense pressure over thousands of years, some stones take just a few days to grow in a laboratory. And yet, they carry an entire life story within them.
ServusTV recently explored this special form of remembrance in the *TM Wissen* magazine: gemstones created from the ashes or hair of the deceased. A story about science, fate, and the unbreakable bond with loved ones.
A stone as unique as a life
The TV show tells the story of Claudia Pippinger, who unexpectedly lost her beloved Leo. Overnight, her life changed completely. But instead of losing herself in the emptiness of grief, Claudia chose to keep a part of Leo with her forever.
"He was the man I wanted to grow old with," she shares. "Now, I carry him as a gemstone everywhere we had planned to go together."
Leo was transformed into a sapphire—one with an exceptionally rare and unique color. "Something truly special, just like Leo was," Claudia Pippinger says with certainty.
Science meets emotion
The company behind this special form of commemoration is Mevisto from Kirchham in Upper Austria. Managing Director Daniela Reiter and biochemist Stefan Friedl have developed a process that makes it possible to create a personalized gemstone from a person's ashes.
The founding of Mevisto was triggered by a tragedy in Daniela Reiter's family: Daniela's father lost his parents at a relatively early age to an extended suicide, but the priest in the very traditional community where she lived at the time refused to allow her parents to be buried at the local cemetery. Thus began the search for a different form of remembrance.
The original plan was to make diamonds from the ashes. But this failed because carbon - the basis for diamonds - burns during cremation. Instead, Stefan Friedl concentrated on other elements that are contained in the human body and survive the cremation process: Phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and aluminum. In the end, the decision was made to use aluminum oxide. This occurs naturally in corundum and is now also the basis for the Mevisto gemstones.
The creation of a unique gemstone
The manufacturing process begins with the formation of a raw crystal in a special furnace at 2,400 degrees Celsius. The extracted elements are then added layer by layer.
You can choose between the colors red, blue and natural. How intense the color is, however, remains a secret until the end. “Different shades appear depending on lifestyle, diet or medication,” explains Daniela Reiter.
The finishing touches - and the start of something new
A rough crystal alone is not a gemstone. Only the precise cut reveals its true splendor and makes it shine - and with it the essence of the deceased. For the employees at Mevisto, cutting the stones is a task close to their hearts: “In addition to the technical challenge, we also have an emotional side to it because we know what the stones are made of. And we also read the names. This gives us a connection to the people,” explains Rupert Rettensteiner.
At the end, each stone is checked by Daniela Reiter and then lovingly packaged and sealed. And now Claudia Pippinger can also hold the box with Leo's sapphire in her hands. “It is with me, it gives me strength and the hope that there is still a lot waiting for me out there that I can take it with me,” she says. With this stone, Claudia Pippinger always carries her great love close to her heart. And at the same time, she has a sparkling memory that can never fade.
The entire broadcast of TM Wissen has been available in the ServusTV media library since January 22, 2025 and will remain available there until February 22, 2025.
