American individualism lives on after death, as consumers choose new ways to put their remains to rest

LifeGem is a company that extracts carbon from cremated human remains and transforms it into diamonds to remember loved ones. Handout/LifeGem via Getty Images

Death may be inevitable and universal, but the ways people deal with it most certainly are not. Whether doing Tibetan Buddhist sky burials, attending a graveside service dressed in black or putting one’s parents’ ashes in the sacred Ganges, each culture has its own ways to deal with death and mourning.

Yet death rites around the world do share some common goals. Traditionally, what happens to a dead body reflects communal beliefs and practices – rituals not only meant to honor the deceased but also to comfort their community.